Scarlet Muse
by AmelieKeaton
Summary: Half the names on the list had already been crossed off. If there was one thing I was good at, it was my job. I was a professional, at the top of my field for years, the rich man's go-to-girl for assassinations. Twenty six names, all in the same city. Simple enough for someone like me, that is if it wasn't for the 'Scarlet Speedster' and one especially distracting genius.
1. Chapter 1

Half of the names on the list had already been crossed off. If there was one thing I was good at, it was my job. Of course, in this case, blackmail had helped to motivate me to get the assignment finished as quickly and skilfully as possible. And, of course, there was also the fact that there was a superhero vigilante meta-human protecting Central City from any and all criminals. Thankfully, so far, I'd managed to evade any surprise meetings with the Scarlet Speedster, and I was certain I hadn't left anything behind to link me to the murders. I was a professional after all, I'd been at the top of my field for years, the rich man's go-to-girl for assassinations. This, however, was the biggest and riskiest job I'd ever done. Twenty six names, all in the same city. That amount of unexplained deaths was sure to attract attention. Luckily, I'm very good at making it look like an accident. Leaking gas pipe, car accident, overdose, suicide… it was easy to divert suspicion from murder, subsequently removing the possibility of a murderer, and keeping me in the clear.

I sighed, running my fingers through my hair and falling ungracefully back onto the bed. Another long day in the life of Manea. That was one of the better nicknames I had been given over the years, before I'd retired, or at least tried to. This wasn't the kind of game you can get out of. Once you were in, you were in for life. It's difficult to turn your back on it when you had become it. It wasn't just a job, it had changed me. I had become this monster, calm and calculating, invisible and deadly. The nickname was quite fitting really, meaning I'd opted to embrace it. Manea, goddess of the dead, an apt description of myself and my work.

Relaxing back into the bed I pushed the events of the day to the back of my mind, another assassination executed perfectly. It was time to go over the details of my next mark, he would die tomorrow. Isaac Cross. CEO of Ideocorp technologies, 43 years old, a wife named Elizabeth Cross, 2 adult children, Florence and Ronnie Cross, a large apartment on Robertson Street. He had a string of mistresses, unbeknownst to poor Elizabeth. I didn't know why this man was on the list, and honestly that wasn't my business. I was sent to do a job, and I was going to complete it. My plan for tomorrow continued to play on a loop in my head, eventually lulling me into a deep dreamless sleep.

* * *

The phone on the table beside me began to emit its incessant and grating alarm, dragging me unwillingly from my sleep. 6:30am, time to get ready for the day ahead. I pulled myself from the soft sheets of my bed, making my way to the bathroom for a quick shower before donning my usual black jeans and tank top. I spent the majority of the day going over the details of the hit in my head, ensuring everything would go smoothly. I'd tracked his movements thoroughly, ensuring I knew exactly where he would be at any given time. Thankfully he followed a strict schedule, making my job all too easy. He would leave home at 8am every morning, drive into the city and arrive at work at 8:45am, where he would park in the underground lot before taking the elevator to his office on the 20th floor. I decided it wouldn't be efficient to take him out during this time, waiting for the opportune moment after he left work. Luckily for me, every Tuesday he stayed behind late, the last in the office, giving him some alone time with his current mistress, his secretary Rose Lane. Rose always left the office five minutes before Mr. Cross, giving me the perfect opportunity to make my move. Confident in my plan, I glanced at the clock on the wall, the time reading 8:30pm. 9:30-9:35pm was my slot. I couldn't miss it. I hopped up from my seat, dressing myself in my usual outfit. Black jeans with black leather boots, paired with a black tank top and maroon hooded coat which fell to just above my knees. Buttoned straps crossed over my chest, fastening the coat in place. I stood facing my reflection in the bathroom mirror, my soft white blonde curls tumbling over my shoulders, falling to just above my navel. Admittedly having hair this long was inconvenient in my line of work, but i'd learned to work around it, refusing to get it cut. After pulling on a pair of maroon leather gloves, I lifted my matching mask up to my face, securing it over my eyes. I draped the large hood over my head, shielding my face even more, ensuring the complete protection of my identity. Positive in my preparedness, I gathered my weapons, storing them hidden upon my person. I had chosen suicide for this particular victim, a bullet to the head. The stress of being the CEO of a major corporation could easily allow motivation for that. I secured the gun in the holster on my thigh, covering it with my coat before turning on my heel and leaving my apartment, the door swinging closed behind me.

* * *

The building was easy enough to get into, using a service door at the back and taking the stairs up to the 20th floor, thereby avoiding all cameras. However the cameras on the 20th floor were a different story, unavoidable, but easily disabled. Taking care of the cameras, I made sure to move through the shadows of the empty building, making my way to Isaac Cross's office. I waited patiently, darkness shrouding me and keeping me hidden from sight, until Rose Lane stumbled out through the glass doors. I surveyed the woman as she fixed her dishevelled appearance, buttoning up her cream blouse before leaving the office. Recognising this as my chance, I made my way silently through the open office door, gaining the attention of my target.

"Who the hell are you?!" the man exclaimed, stumbling backwards, placing his desk between the two of us. Ignoring his question, I stalked towards him, calm and focused.

"Don't come any closer!", his voice was steady, carefully attempting to mask the fear that unfortunately was clearly apparent on his face. In a feeble attempt at an escape, he leapt around the side of the desk opposite to me, stumbling over his feet as he headed towards the door. Unfortunately for him, I was much faster and had easily predicted his intentions. Moving swiftly in front of him I grabbed his arm, smoothly swiping my leg under his, sending him toppling to the ground whilst I stood above him. Crouching down slowly, I removed a small but deadly sharp knife from my person, holding it against his throat, with just enough pressure to cause discomfort.

"Mr. Cross, if you would so kindly make your way over to your desk and take a seat, it would be much appreciated", my words were laced with threat, but were calm and steady. Slowly rising from his position on the ground, the man made his way to the desk, trembling as he took his seat. Gracefully propping myself against the desk in front of him, I removed the gun from its holster.

"What do you want? Money? I'll give you whatever you want…", the man stammered, his voice shaking despite his clear efforts to appear calm. I smiled, holding out the gun towards him. Taking his hand, I placed the gun into his palm before directing it at his temple. I'm sure he begged for his life at this point, they always do, but whatever pleas he choked out were silenced by the crack of the gunshot. I rose from my seat, mentally crossing another name of the list and ready to make my exit when the sound of police sirens pulled me from my thoughts. Silent alarm. Somehow I'd managed to overlook something so simple as a panic button on his desk. Mentally reprimanding myself for my mistake, I hurried out of the office and back into the shadows of the hallway, towards the staircase. I made it to the bottom of the stairs quickly and easily, no trouble avoiding the officers currently searching the building. I felt relief wash over me as I exited through the service door and out into the night, prematurely allowing myself to let my guard down. Everyone has their off nights. A flash of yellow light darted past me, knocking me off my feet and momentarily stunning me. I quickly pulled myself back up, noticing a figure standing in front of me. The Flash.

We stood facing each other, both holding our ground. I quickly and silently pulled a blade from my coat, arming myself against the man.

"How about we make this easy for both of us and you just come with me", the hero suggested, his words playful but his tone dark. I smiled at his words, spinning the blade expertly in my hand and taking a step towards him.

"Where would be the fun in that?"

A blur of light rushed towards me, sending me tumbling to the ground once again. Recovering quickly, I turned towards the red blur, working to anticipate his next move. Fortunately, this was something I was quite skilled at. Predicting what he would do next, I readied myself. Dodging the speedster as he whipped past my left side, I spun expertly on my heel lashing out with the blade, catching him across his chest and sending him skidding into a nearby wall. Taking his distraction at his wound as my chance, I hurried through the dark alleyway behind the building, swiftly pulling myself over a wall and into the darkness once again. I'd been sloppy tonight, I'd been seen, I'd almost been caught, probably left behind evidence. I'd have to leave it a little while before the next hit, let the heat die down. Despite this, I grinned to myself as I escaped into the night, ignorantly proud that I'd managed to escape the superhero of Central City. Not much of a superhero if you ask me.


	2. Chapter 2

_**DISCLAIMER: I only own Zarah Wilson/Manea and her character development. The story does not follow any story or character plotline laid out in The Flash tv show and therefore the story and character development will not correlate with those stories and plotlines.**_

 ** _Sorry this is the shortest chapter ever, it was supposed to be part of chapter one and I didn't want to upload it with the next section. Please leave a review if you've liked (or disliked) the story so far, and if you want me to carry on writing :)_**

Cisco's POV

I knew I shouldn't be excited about this, but if this woman was who I thought she was then this was going to be awesome. I listened intently as Barry recalled the events of his evening and his run in with the mysterious red hooded woman, piecing together the string of sudden and unexplainable accidents and suicides that had rocked Central City over the last couple of weeks. Apparently I wasn't concealing my excitement as well as I thought, as Barry halted his speech to frown in my direction.

"Okay Cisco you are looking way too excited about the fact there's a mysterious super assassin murdering people all over the city…", he sighed, taking a seat before continuing, "What do you know that we don't?". I grinned in response, spinning in my chair to face my computer screen before beginning.

"Okay, so a few years back, there was this huge string of unexplained accidents and suicides in London. There was no evidence that it could have been anything other than accidents, but the sheer number of them arose suspicion. The police didn't suspect any foul play but there's a bunch of these online message boards dedicated to this exact thing", I excitedly explained, my fingers tapping at the keyboard.

"Where are you going with this Cisco?", Joe sighed, coming to stand behind me as Caitlin and Barry took a seat beside me. Clicking on the link on the screen, a website popped up, revealing thousands of messages, photos and stories regarding a mystery red hooded woman.

"Honestly, I thought she was just a story, but there are hundreds of people claiming to have caught a glimpse of this woman, the assassin. Supposedly she's the best in the world, and no one knows her true identity, but she's been named Manea by the fans. An awesome name in my opinion, ya know, because in a bunch of cultures Manea is the goddess of the dead, and from what I've read there is no better description of her". I rambled on, only stopping when I noticed the stern look Caitlin had directed at me.

"So you think this Manea is who I ran into last night?", Barry questioned, scrolling down the page, stopping to analyse a few of the dark blurred photos that supposedly exposed the hooded woman.

"I think she's our only lead", I sighed, leaning back in my chair and linking my hands behind my head, "but there's just one problem… no one knows who she is, where she is, or anything about her other than she's well trained, deadly, and she wears a red hood. She could be anywhere in this city, we have no chance of finding her".

A heavy silence filled the room, contemplation on the faces of everyone there, attempting to devise some sort of plan to locate the assassin. Eventually it got too late to continue discussing the very few ideas we had and everyone headed home for the night, planning to pick up where we left off in the morning. I trudged through my apartment door, closing it swiftly behind me before throwing down my bag and collapsing onto the sofa. Deciding to do something useful, I pulled out my laptop, opening up a number of tabs and opting to spend my night scrolling through message boards and fan sites. If there was any useful information to be found on this woman, I would find it. I stretched out on the sofa, placing my laptop on my legs and settling in for what was going to be a long night.


	3. Chapter 3

_**DISCLAIMER: I only own Zarah Wilson/Manea and her character development. The story does not follow any story or character plotline laid out in The Flash tv show and therefore the story and character development will not correlate with those stories and plotlines.**_ **_Please leave a review if you've liked (or disliked) the story so far, and if you want me to carry on writing :)_**

Manea's POV

I stood at the counter of the coffee shop, patiently waiting for my drink as I idly scanned the room. It had been almost a week since the Cross hit and I'd been laying low since, doing normal people things like drinking coffee and strolling around parks. Admittedly, although these were painfully boring ways to spend my time it was surprisingly nice to take a break from all of the murder business. I gratefully took the coffee from the barista as he called my name, once again scanning the room in order to find a seat. Before I'd managed to find somewhere to sit, a computer screen caught my eye. The screen was filled with photographs and sketches of a red hooded woman, which I knew to be me. I observed the owner of the laptop, noticing his mid-long chocolate hair and olive skin. By the looks of his plaid shirt, transformers t-shirt and sneakers I normally would have just pegged him as some sort of geeky fan. However, the fact that I had a job in the city and had almost been caught last week arose my suspicion. It was too much of a coincidence that someone would be looking into me at this time. Letting my curiosity and overpowering need for self preservation get the better of me, I made my way over to the table, stopping to stand behind him.

"Manea…", I read from the screen, startling the boy to turn and look up at me. "Interesting morning coffee shop reading", I flashed my best smile, the actress in me planning on gaining his trust and interest. "May I sit?"

"Uh.. yeah, of course", he stumbled over his words before regaining his senses and motioning towards the chair opposite him.

"Cool shirt", I complimented, gratefully taking the seat before introducing myself. "Zarah Wilson".

"Thanks!", he grinned excitedly, reminding me somewhat of a puppy, eliciting a gentle chuckle from myself. "Cisco Ramon, nice to meet you".

"So… mysterious hooded assassins, that's what you're into?", I shot a curious and playfully flirty look in his direction, earning yet another one of his uplifting grins.

"Uh yeah… I mean, no!", he laughed awkwardly, "well there's been a bunch of accidents and suicides happening in the city and they're super similar to some that happened a few years back in London, so I got curious".

My heart rate sped up momentarily. He knew something was going on. I felt my smile falter for a nanosecond before I got back into character, regaining my unsuspicious facade.

"What are you, a cop?", I joked, scooting my chair around to sit beside him, angling the laptop in my direction and browsing the message board. Hopefully there was nothing too revealing on here, I'm sure I hadn't managed to give anything away over the years, rarely making a mistake. He laughed, his eyes on me as I scooted closer, my arm brushing his in hopes of distracting him from his research. My ability to flirt came in at a strong second to my ability to kill.

"No no, not a cop, just a huge nerd", he held his hands up in mock surrender.

"So, what do you know about this mystery woman so far? It doesn't look like there's a whole lot of reliable information on here", I questioned, continuing to scroll down the page, my attention fixed.

"No there isn't a lot, whoever she is, she's great at her job", he explained, pulling the laptop back in his direction before tapping away at the keys, excited to reveal the result of his efforts. "However, through merciless internet searching, I've managed to discover a few things. First of all, the consensus seems to be that she's British, which makes sense with all the London deaths. People seem to think she's in her early 20's and, this is the coolest part, there's a rumour that she comes from this super awesome and deadly team of female assassins called 'The Scarlet Muses', another awesome name…"

I left him to ramble on about his findings, beginning to worry about how much he knew. How could one person have gathered so much information in such a short time. I continued to think over the situation and how it could be fixed before I was torn from my pondering's by a name. The Flash.

"Sorry I completely zoned out there, what was that about the Flash?", I queried, turning my attention to him.

"I was just saying how from the very few photos online it looks like she's young, in her early 20's maybe, around 5ft4 and petite. That and the British accent fits with the woman the Flash fought last week…", suddenly realising what he'd said he hurriedly explained himself, "I mean… that's what the cops are saying anyway… because The Flash helps them out and I have this friend who works with them as a CSI and he tells me things about their cases…". His hasty explanation and suspicious manner had me questioning the validity of his words and considering that maybe he was more connected to the Flash than he was making out. He definitely knew more than he was letting on and I was determined to find out what that was. I gathered myself, a calm demeanour washing over me, taking a sip of my coffee before I responded.

"A secret team of deadly female assassins… sounds a bit far fetched to me", I laughed, grabbing my coffee and rising from my seat, gathering my things ready to leave. "I have to go, but it was very nice to meet you Cisco Ramon".

"Uh yeah, you too," he responded, standing politely for my departure. "Maybe i'll see you around again" He suggested, his voice hopeful, to which I flashed another one of my award winning smiles before turning on my heel and heading towards the exit.

"I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again soon, Cisco Ramon", I muttered under my breath as I exited the coffee shop into the fresh morning air.

—

I spent the rest of my day hunched over my laptop, searching for as much information as I could find on Cisco Ramon and his life. His personal and family life seemed very uneventful, both his parents Puerto Rican, his older brother Dante seemed to steal the limelight with his musical abilities. However, his work life was something that I had found much more interesting. Unfortunately for me and my anonymity, it seemed I was dealing with quite the genius. Showing signs of incredible mechanical abilities from a young age, he was recruited to S.T.A.R. Labs as a mechanical engineer and had played a huge part in the creation and possibly destruction of the particle accelerator. Other than his many mechanical achievements there wasn't a whole lot the internet could tell me that was useful in explaining his interest in me. I turned my attention to the CSI friend he had mentioned, easily finding out his name, Barry Allen. It turned out his mother had been murdered when he was just a child, his father going to prison for her murder leaving a young Barry Allen to live with family friend and police detective Joe West. Again giving me nothing to explain where I came into this. Apart from the Flash's affiliation with the police force, and Cisco and Barry's connection to them, there was nothing I could find to warrant Cisco's research on me, leaving my only theory being that he knew the Flash personally. It looked like I'd have to take a more direct approach. I wasn't opposed to a little bit of good old fashioned stalking.


	4. Chapter 4

_**DISCLAIMER: I only own Zarah Wilson/Manea and her character development. The story does not follow any story or character plotline laid out in The Flash tv show and therefore the story and character development will not correlate with those stories and plotlines.**_ **_Please leave a review if you've liked (or disliked) the story so far, and if you want me to carry on writing :)_**

My scarlet hood covered my head, obscuring my face as I leaned casually against the railings of the fire escape. I'd been lurking in close proximity to the bar where Cisco Ramon and his friends had been all night, listening in to snippets of their conversations where I could, proving to be fruitless in giving me any information. I sighed, turning my attention away from my targets and looking up to the sky. It was a clear and mild night, the stars twinkling brightly in contrast to the black sky. I knew that I needed to get back to the list, finish the job i'd come here for, but I couldn't risk it just yet. If I was caught, if i couldn't finish the job, I would lose anything. It was too big of a risk to take. I needed to be sure I could get it done whilst avoiding the vigilante, which apparently meant spending my evening sitting on a fire escape watching people get drunk. I let my mind wander back to when I was a child, 9 years old to be exact. That was when I had been taken in by the Scarlet Muses. My mother and father had died in a car accident, leaving me and my baby sister Natalia orphaned. An exceptionally clichéd tragedy I am well aware, none-the-less, i'm sure it would be extremely influential to my back story should my life ever be made into a movie. Both I and my sister were taken in and trained, shaped into the killers that we were today. It obviously wasn't the path I would have chosen for my baby sister however, like me, she was a natural, we had even worked together on a few occasions. She struggled more than me, she had a kind heart and didn't want to be a killer. I however, took to it like a duck to water, easily burying my morals deep enabling me to do my job without remorse. It had been a long time since i'd seen Natalia, I was alone now, but I liked it that way. Caring for people makes you weak, makes the job that much harder. You can't form lasting connections when you're constantly lying about who you are. The other day, in the coffee shop talking to Cisco, was the first time in a long time that I had used my real name. It could have been risky, however I hadn't been Zarah Wilson in such a long time I doubt it would have revealed anything incriminating.

I was still pondering my pitiful life so far when I heard the door to the bar swing open, allowing the noise and chatter of the patrons to escape into the evening air. The two men and the woman I had been following exited into the street, saying their goodbyes before the woman and Barry headed in one direction and Cisco headed in the opposite. My curiosity over the Puerto Rican genius lead me to make the decision to follow him rather than the others. Leaping gracefully down from the fire escape, I landed effortlessly in the alley below before hurrying silently after my target. I followed closely in the shadows, easily managing to stay out of his sights. I watched as he turned down a dark alleyway, most likely a shortcut to his destination. Falling back slightly I made sure to stay unnoticed as three men approached from the opposite end of the alley. Their dark clothing and threatening body language forced me to raise my guard, falling into a fighting stance as I manoeuvred around the boxes and bins that littered the alley floor. I stayed hidden as the three men blocked the path, forcing Cisco to halt. There was an exchanging of words, most likely some threats and a request for money. How pathetically clichéd of them. It wasn't until I saw the glint of a blade that I decided it was time to intervene, thankful for a bit of unexpected action to liven up my night. I walked towards the muggers, confident and calm in my stride.

"Three against one, seems a bit unfair to me", I mused, placing myself protectively between the boy and his attackers. Glancing behind me to see that he had taken a few cautious steps back, I removed my favourite weapons from their halters, two beautiful but deadly daggers encrusted with ruby gemstones. A laugh erupted from the man in the middle of the group, mimicked quickly by his two accomplices.

"I'd prefer not to fight a girl sweetheart", his patronising tone was accompanied by a sly smirk as he reached out to stroke my cheek. Before his hand had a chance to connect with my skin I raised my right arm, sinking my blade into his bicep before spinning expertly and delivering a swift kick to his chest, sending him flying backwards over a fallen bin behind him. In defence of their friend, his two partners rushed towards me in a sloppy attempt to take me out. Easily dodging one of the men, I set my sights on the other, leaping towards him and wrapping my legs around his shoulders, before throwing my body backwards, pulling him to the ground before gracefully flipping backwards onto my feet. Noticing the first man was back on his feet, I focused my attentions on him charging towards me, ready to counter any blow.

"Look out!", a voice cried, distracting me as I heard a yelp and a thud, glancing quickly behind to see the mugger knocked out on the ground, his surprise attack tactic foiled by Cisco. I ducked, narrowly avoiding the fist of the man fighting me before swiping my leg under his, slashing my knife across his throat as he crashed to the ground in front of me. I paused momentarily, observing the dead man on the ground, before turning to see the two accomplices fleeing the scene, surrendering now that they had lost their leader. I chuckled quietly, always enjoying the opportunity to put men in their place before I noticed the olive skinned boy stumbling to his feet. It wasn't until I had closed the distance between us that I noticed the blood on his hands and shirt as he clutched his stomach.

"That was awesome", he muttered, "you're awesome".

"And you're bleeding", I responded solemnly, reaching out to assess the damage, making sure to keep my face obscured. "I need to get you to a hospital".

"The closest hospital is too far away, it would take too long to get there", he explained, his body swaying as the blood loss began to have an effect. My hands grasped his shoulders as he swayed, helping to lower him to the ground gently before considering my options. I knew there was one person who could get him to the hospital on time, and I suspected he knew how to contact that person.

"The Flash, you know him, don't you", it was more of a statement than a question. "He can get you to the hospital on time". Taking a moment to consider my words, the boy reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, tapping away at the screen before handing it to me.

"Ring this number, tell them where I am and that I need help asap", he mumbled, beginning to slur his words as he drifted in and out of consciousness. Taking the phone and lifting it to my ear, I willed the receiver to answer as the ringing continued. Finally, the voice of a man responded from the other end of the line.

 _"Hey Cisco, what's up?"_

"The corner of Park and Franklin, there's an alleyway, he's badly hurt and needs to get to a hospital fast", I gave the caller the important details before glancing back towards the bleeding man in front of me. "Hurry".

I hung up the phone, not waiting for a response and returned it to his pocket before lifting his hands away from the wound in order to assess it. He watched me closely and curiously as I began to work to stem the flow of blood. Managing to cover the wound effectively I took his hands, placing them back and applying pressure.

"You need to keep pressure on this so you don't bleed out", I explained, taking a moment to gauge my surroundings, keeping watch for the speedster.

"You're her aren't you? Manea… I thought you were supposed to kill people, not save them", He choked out a laugh, attempting to lighten the gloomy situation. I smiled at his words, enjoying his positive attitude despite the fact he'd just been stabbed.

"We all have our off days", I chuckled, sending him a small smirk. Our conversation was cut short at that point by a gust of wind and a flash of yellow. I turned to see the Flash standing behind me, assessing the situation. I rose to my feet and took a few steps to the side, noticing his focus drift momentarily to the dead mugger before snapping back to the bleeding man. His appearance at the scene confirmed my suspicions regarding his connection to Mr. Ramon, convincing me that they knew each other personally, possibly even out of his mask.

"You might want to hurry, he's lost a lost of blood", I explained, taking another step back into the shadows. He seemed torn for a moment, the assassin plaguing the city was standing right in front of him, I knew he wanted to get me off the streets. A loud groan from a bleeding Cisco made his decision for him. A silent understanding and thanks passed between us as he scooped the man into his arms, opting to leave our fight till another day.

"Thank you", he acknowledged my help before sending one last parting glance and racing off into the night. Taking once last look at the body on the floor, I opted not to clean up, leaving the scene as it was and heading back home.

I opened the door to my rented apartment, closing it gently behind me and bolting it shut. I removed my coat, gloves and mask, dropping them haphazardly across the back of the sofa. One by one I removed my weapons from their holsters, throwing them back into their drawer. It was only then that I noticed the blood on my hands, a mixture of Cisco's and the muggers. I decided that I was in need of a long hot shower after tonights events, taking extra time to wash the blood out of my hair and soak my stained skin. The warm water of the shower left me exhausted. Dragging my fatigued body to my bed I didn't get a chance to review todays events before I'd sunk into a heavy sleep.

* * *

 **Thank you to anyone who is reading this, I hope you're enjoying it:) I would love it so much if you could leave a review to let me know how it's going, what you like/dont like, if you have any pointers on where the story should go. Also dont forget to favourite so you never miss a chapter ;) Much Love. Hilly3**


	5. Chapter 5

_**DISCLAIMER: I only own Zarah Wilson/Manea and her character development. The story does not follow any story or character plotline laid out in The Flash tv show and therefore the story and character development will not correlate with those stories and plotlines.**_ **_Please leave a review if you've liked (or disliked) the story so far, and if you want me to carry on writing :)_**

Manea's POV

Over the next few days I attempted to push recent events to the back of my mind, deciding to turn my attention back to the list. There were still twelve names left to cross off, and I'd definitely fallen behind my schedule. Thankfully the next few names were low profile, no CEO's or big bosses, just normal people. Seth McClure, Rodney Carlson and Cameron Hawkins. All clean and successful kills, no evidence, no slip ups; I was back to my usual professional self. My next target was a woman, Marisol Cabrera. She would be especially easy to take out, the fact that she was single and living alone meant that it would be simple to target her at home. This hit would be even easier due to the fact that she lived in the same apartment complex as me. I'd seen her on a few occasions, exchanged a quick hello once or twice. She rarely had visitors, the maid she'd hired being the only one, and she rarely went out except to work or run. Once again, her reasons for being on the list were unknown to me, something I preferred. I chose to make my move during the evening, always preferring to have the cover of darkness. I worked best in the dark, able to disappear into the shadows, become invisible. Also after 8pm the complex became very quiet, very rarely seeing anyone around. I was quickly in and out of her apartment, easily picking the door's lock, choosing poison as my weapon in this particular hit. I liked to go old fashioned when it came to poison, with Belladonna being my choice. There was something romantic about a poison that was so often written into stories of love and war, and I did like to add a little flair to my work sometimes. It was easy enough to slip a lethal dose of the poison into Miss. Cabrera's drink before disappearing back into the shadows, another name crossed off the list.

It was 8am the following morning that I heard the commotion from the floor below. Although I knew exactly what had caused it, I decided to play the innocent and curious neighbour, throwing on a pair of leggings and a sweater before heading downstairs. The hallway was brimming with police officers, yellow tape preventing unauthorised entry to the apartment. I approached an officer who's overall demeanour exuded authority. I recognised him from my previous internet research as Joe West, the man who had taken in the young Barry Allen. What a coincidence.

"Excuse me officer, what's going on?", I queried innocently, leaning forward to take a peek into the apartment.

"I'm afraid your neighbour, Miss. Cabrera was found dead in her apartment this morning by her maid", he explained, resting a gentle hand on my shoulder in an attempt to comfort. I put on my best show of shock and mourning, my inner actress making an appearance once again.

"Did you know her well?", Joe questioned, his voice taking a softer tone as he led me away from the apartment door.

"No, not really. No one knew her particularly well, she didn't socialise much",

"And did you see or hear anything suspicious last night? Any new people you hadn't seen before?",

"No, nothing unusual, I saw her coming back from her run that she went on every evening, but nothing seemed different", I lied, my innocent facade clearly convincing the officer to believe my statements. "Is there anything else I can help with? This is just awful".

"No, I think you've told me all you can for now", he offered a kind smile, "Although if you could give me your name just in case so I could contact you should I need to know anything else".

"Yes, yes of course, it's…"

"Zarah?", a voice called from the staircase behind us, drawing both our attentions towards it. I peered around the side of the officer in an attempt to identify the mystery person, only to meet the gaze of a chocolate haired, olive skinned boy.

"Cisco Ramon", I confirmed out loud, surprised to see him looking as well as ever, that adorable grin plastering his face. You wouldn't know he'd almost died just under a week ago.

"You two know each other?", Joe asked, his gaze passing between the two of us.

"Yeah we met at Jitters a few weeks ago, I was hoping I'd see you again", he closed the space between us in a few strides, coming to stand beside Joe.

"Likewise", I responded with a smile, slightly thrown off my game by his appearance at the crime scene. "What brings you here?"

"I've gotta pick up some sample from the crime scene to analyse, but what a coincidence that you happen to live in the same building where someone died and I just happened to arrive whilst you were talking to Joe", I laughed at his ramblings, raising my eyebrows in synchronisation with the officer, the both of us amused by his response. Asking me once again for my full name and a number for contacting me, I relayed the information to Joe as he wrote it into a small notebook. Thanking me again for my help, he tucked the notebook into his pocket and made his way into the apartment, leaving Cisco and I alone in the hallway. A few moments of awkward silence passed between us before I decided that I should speak.

"So, how have you been?", I asked the simple question, knowing full well I wouldn't receive a simple answer.

"I've been good!", he responded with a smile, before considering the last few week's events and continuing, "I mean… I kinda got stabbed and nearly died but was saved by that assassin in the red hood that I was researching when we met… but other than that things have been good". I raised my eyebrows, shock apparent on my face.

"You got stabbed?!", I exclaimed, convincingly acting as though I didn't already know this information, "Oh my god are you okay?!"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine", he brushed off my worry, smiling again to confirm he was okay.

"And… you were saved by the mysterious hooded assassin…? Aren't assassins supposed to kill people, not save them?",

"That is exactly what I said! It was crazy, I thought these guys were going to kill me and she just comes in and kicks their asses. It was awesome", he sighed, his mind clearly running over the events of that night.

"You know, looking too deeply into this woman's life could be dangerous. She might have saved you this time but that doesn't mean she'll be happy with you snooping and uncovering her secrets", I warned, placing my hand on his arm in an attempt to appear as though I was saying these things out of concern for his safety, rather than out of concern for my own.

"Don't worry about me", he grinned, clearly pleased at my show of concern, "I'm not so easy to get rid of". I couldn't stifle the small giggle and smile I offered in response. Pretty much anything he said gave me this sickening urge to giggle and grin like a love-struck schoolgirl, his general presence casting an uplifting aura on the people around him. I nodded, tearing my gaze away from his face as I realised I may have been staring for just a little too long.

"Well, I should head back up to my apartment", I pointed awkwardly to the stairs, taking a step towards them as a sign of my departure.

"Yeah, I should… go get the samples", Cisco replied, pointing towards the apartment door as I smiled, nodding and turning to walk away. "Zarah, hey… um… maybe we could, get coffee again sometime, or something? Not like the first time we were there together or anything but... ugh you know what I mean", he called after me, stumbling over his words, seeming surprised himself that he had actually asked me before dropping his head with a sigh. I stopped walking and turned back towards him, enjoying his awkwardness and discomfort a little too much.

"You have my number, give me a call", I replied confidently, leaning casually against the banister, "See you around genius", I offered a quick and flirty wink before disappearing up the stairs and into my apartment, closing the door behind me and leaning against it with a sigh. I rubbed my temples, closing my eyes and mentally berating myself. I was a deadly assassin and there I was, giggling and blushing like a little girl. What on earth were you doing to me Cisco Ramon.

* * *

 ** _I know, I know... it's been forever since I've uploaded and I apologise. BUT, I have three new chapters already written and ready to upload and I will definitely get writing a lot more soon I promise! Hope you enjoy and if you do, please leave feedback, I love to know what you think! Much love, Hilly_**


	6. Chapter 6

_**DISCLAIMER: I only own Zarah Wilson/Manea and her character development. The story does not follow any story or character plotline laid out in The Flash TV show and therefore the story and character development will not correlate with those stories and plotlines.**_ **_Please leave a review if you've liked (or disliked) the story so far, and if you want me to carry on writing :)_**

Barry's POV

"How could this possibly be anyone other than our assassin? Barry, she literally scratched her name into his body and left us a goddamn note", Joe explained, before listing off the details of the crime scene before him.

"Yeah, I can see that" I sighed, gathering up my samples and packing them away in my bag, ready to analyse later. "So, how did he die?"

"From what we can tell so far he was poisoned, and we suspect that she's done that before, lets not forget Miss. Cabrera. Now, there's no puncture wounds but the poison could have easily been administered through the scratches".

"Okay, i'm gonna get this back to my lap and take a look, i'll let you know what I find". Collecting my samples and equipment, I made my way out of the crime scene, heading back to the lab to analyse the evidence. Something seemed off about this murder, all the others had been clean, neat, no evidence left behind; why would that change now? Although I suppose I couldn't ignore what was staring me in the face, this had to have been her work. Back at the lab I ran all the usual tests, looking for DNA, attempting to identify the poison, unfortunately with very little success. I groaned in response to another test coming back negative, throwing myself ungracefully into my chair, my head in my hands.

"Rough day?", a voice called from the doorway, prompting me to look.

"Iris", I smiled, my best friend leaning comfortably against the door frame, a welcome distraction from my work. "It's just this last case, it doesn't make any sense and I swear I have run every test I can think of, but none of them can tell me what poison killed this guy".

"Well, I don't think I personally could help you, my knowledge on identifying poisons is slightly lacking… although you do have a genius and a doctor hidden away at S.T.A.R. labs if you'd forgotten, I'm sure they could help".

"See, this is how fried my brain is right now, I didn't even think of that", I hurried from my seat, gathering all of the samples I needed before making my way to the door, "Thank you, you are literally the best". I grabbed Iris in a quick hug before disappearing in a streak of light, S.T.A.R. Labs being my destination.

—

Zarah's POV

I strolled lazily along the street, taking my time in my journey home. It was surprisingly cold considering it was midday, not that I minded, enjoying the feeling of the frigid wind nipping at my cheeks. It was quiet considering it was the middle of the day, most people opting to stay inside out of the autumn chill. It had been an uneventful few days since i'd decided to take a little break after my last four kills. I had almost reached my apartment when I overheard a snippet of a conversation from a passing group that sparked my interest. I didn't hear much of what they said, only managing to identify a statement about the news and the name Manea. I quickened my pace, arriving back at my apartment in record time, hurriedly closing the door behind me before scrambling for my laptop. Quickly opening up my browser, I searched for any trace of a news story involving my name. My heart stopped as I noticed a relevant link, clicking on it to reveal a news headline in bold letters:

 **STRING OF MYSTERIOUS DEATHS THE WORK OF HOODED WOMAN KNOWN AS MANEA?**

I scrolled down the page, hurriedly reading on to discover if this story held any evidence of substance. My confusion was quickly replaced with anger once the details of the story became apparent. A boy was killed by poisoning, my name scratched into his body and a note left pinned to his shirt. While the contents of the note were not explicitly revealed, the general gist seemed to be that it was a statement of power, left behind to arrogantly flaunt who the killer was, what they were capable of doing, and bragging about how the police could not catch them. While I obviously had no issues with murder, I certainly did have an issue with my name being plastered all over a sloppy crime scene, leaving me vulnerable and exposed to the world. There was a reason I never left evidence behind, this show of arrogance was not the work of an assassin like myself, but the hubristic actions of a fame craving moron. Making myself comfortable, I set about beginning what would be a long night of research. I was going to find out who was doing this, and they were certainly going to regret making such a stupid decision.

Cisco's POV

"Okay, I hear what you're saying, but I still don't think it was her", I repeated myself for what felt like the millionth time, refusing to believe this last murder was the work of the hooded assassin. It was all wrong, the method of kill, the chaotic crime scene, the abundance of evidence left behind. This wasn't how she worked. If her previous kills were anything to go by, they were clean, normally appearing to be accidents or suicides. It didn't make sense that she would change her motive now, and it made even less sense that she would put her name out there after spending her entire life in the shadows.

"Look Cisco, I get that she saved your life and all, but that doesn't mean she's suddenly turned good, she's still a murderer", Caitlin attempted to explain her argument, choosing to ignore my protests and explanations. I audibly groaned, frustrated by my failed attempts to convince my friends of my theories.

"So what, there's another killer out there framing her? Why would someone do that, it literally makes no sense", Barry waved his arms in frustration, clearly just as confused by the situation as the rest of us. "Caitlin, have you managed to work out what poison was used?"

"Um… sort of", she began, seeming unsure of what she had discovered, "So, i haven't been able to identify it as a specific poison, i've never seen anything like it. But from what I have seen, it shares a number of properties with the venom of the Taipan snake, although there are also elements of the poison which honestly… i've never seen before".

"So, it's kinda like snake venom… but it's not", I briefly summed up Caitlin's description, turning my attention away from my friends, my mind still working to piece together what was going on. I'd gone over the evidence in my head for what felt like the millionth time when my contemplation was paused by the ring of a mobile phone filling the room. I observed curiously as Barry made his way into the joining lab and answered his phone, responding to the mystery caller with a series of yes's and hums of agreement. He ended the short phone call, stuffing the phone in his pocket before re-joining Caitlin and I in the main room.

"So, that was Joe", he began, coming to a standstill in front of us both, worry etched on his face, "there's been another murder, exactly the same as the last one, the killer claiming to be Manea". A look of concern was shared between the group as I brought my hands up to my head, rubbing my temples in an attempt to ease my fast developing headache. I was quickly distracted from my pain when a voice from the doorway stole me from my thoughts.

"Nice place you've got here…".

The room fell silent as the presence of a figure leaning against the door frame was noted, the air thick with tension at the arrival of a mysterious red hooded woman. She took a confident step forward into the light, her face still obscured by her hood and her mask. Her long hair was damp from the rain outside, small water droplets adorning her coat and hood, occasionally falling with a silent splash into the floor. An air of power surrounded her as she stood tall, commanding the attention of the room.

"I didn't kill that man", the intruder stated, her voice calm with a hint of venom in her tone, "and for the record, I didn't kill the first one either".

* * *

 ** _As usual, please to review to let me know what you think! Much love, Hilly_**


	7. Chapter 7

_**DISCLAIMER: I only own Zarah Wilson/Manea and her character development. The story does not follow any story or character plotline laid out in The Flash TV show and therefore the story and character development will not correlate with those stories and plotlines.**_ **_Please leave a review if you've liked (or disliked) the story so far, and if you want me to carry on writing :)_**

The room remained silent for a moment, everyone considering how to handle the current situation as I moved to lean casually against the door frame. I sighed as the silence stretched on, all eyes on me as I took a few more steps into the room, keeping my head turned away from them in order to shield my identity.

"You've all gone awfully quiet," I mused as I strolled over to a nearby table, picking up an unidentified piece of technology and turning it in my hands, "I was starting to enjoy your theories."

"Please don't touch that." A member of my company finally spoke, gesturing towards the technology in my hand. I smiled at the familiar voice, gently placing the item down and turning slightly towards the group.

"Why would you come here? You must know that we'd be looking for you, you've walked straight into our hands." Barry posed the question that everyone was thinking, earning a grin from myself.

"Darling I could walk in here handcuffed and you still wouldn't have me 'in your hands'." My comment earned a quiet chuckle from Cisco as I pulled myself up to sit on the table, swinging my legs playfully.

"So, what are you doing here?" This time it was Caitlin who was questioning my motives, keeping her distance from me as she moved, placing her desk between the two of us.

"I want the same thing as you," I stated simply, twisting a wet strand of hair through my fingers, watching the large drips of rain splash onto the floor. "I want to find out what brainless oaf is murdering people and plastering my name all over the scene."

"I knew it wasn't you, I totally called it." Cisco announced proudly to the room, crossing his arms over his chest with a grin.

"It doesn't matter if it was her or not, she's still a murderer, and she still needs to be stopped." Caitlin exclaimed, wiping Cisco's grin from his face.

"She is also still sitting right here, but thank you for your input Doctor Snow." I rolled my eyes, hopping down from the table, chuckling as my movement prompted Caitlin to shuffle a few steps back. "Yes, I am a murderer. Yes, I have done a lot of awful things and killed a lot of people, but, for reasons you will never understand, I don't have much choice. Now, are we going to find out who - else - is killing people or are we going to stand around and discuss our morality all day?" Silence fell once again as the room considered what to do next, silent discussion passing wordlessly through each person's eyes as I waited patiently.

"You're awesome." A quiet muttering came from Cisco along with a barely restrained grin.

"Shut up Cisco," Barry rolled his eyes, running his hands through his hair with a sigh before continuing, "Okay, so what do you know?"

Our discussion into the mystery killer lasted for much longer than I would have liked, the entire time spent with me remaining at a far enough distance from the group to keep my face shielded. As much as I was willing to work alongside them to uncover this idiot, I wasn't willing to lose my cover for it. My lack of identity had served me well for the majority of my life, and I wasn't about to lose that. It was my security, a faceless identity that I'd grown comfortable with. Another slightly more selfish and stupid part of me considered that perhaps I was hiding it so that I could cling to my chances of a relationship with Cisco, the giddy girl-with-a-huge-crush side of me thinking forward to our potential coffee date. The thought brought a hint of a smile to my face, only returning to my usual placid expression when my name was called.

"Sorry, completely zoned out there, what were you saying?" I mumbled, composing myself as I pushed my emotions deep down to a place inside me that they had been held captive for many years. Barry continued on to describe the information they had so far on the mystery killer, with Caitlin chiming in with lab and DNA results every now and then. I quickly zoned out once again, leaving them to discuss the finer details of our plan while I leaned comfortably against the desk on the far side of the room, silently considering my own plans regarding the matter.

"Do you ever take it off?" A question posed from beside me pulled me from my thoughts again, I turned my head slightly away from my company as Cisco mimicked my position, leaning against the desk beside me.

"Take what off?" I replied, angling my head in a position where I could easily converse whilst still keeping my face hidden.

"The hood," He confirmed, before continuing his questioning, "Is it just like, a secret identity thing, or do you have like, a badass scar on your face that you cover up?"

"Well I don't sleep in it if that's what you're asking," I laughed at his questions, relaxing slightly in his company, "and no I don't have a badass scar on my face. It's my security."

"We won't tell anyone who you are, we keep Barry's secret pretty well. Things would be a lot easier if you didn't have to stand on the opposite side of the room." His voice took a gentler tone as he spoke.

"It's not that. I fully believe that you would keep my secret, you seem trustworthy," He perked up at my words, pleased at my trust in him, be it a small amount. "I can't have anyone knowing who I am, it isn't safe."

"Not safe for you or for them?" He queried curiously.

"Both." I replied, a dark edge to my tone as I considered his question.

"Why did you save me?" The conversation took a U-turn at his new question, moving on suddenly from where it had been going before.

"I wasn't going to leave you to bleed out in an alleyway." I answered simply, a pang of sadness hitting me as I realised his reasoning for the question.

"You're an assassin, that doesn't usually constitute saving people." His answer was what I'd expected, the usual assumption that my career signified an inability to care or to help.

"I do what I do for reasons I can't help you understand, but my ability to kill doesn't mean I'm unable to care. I'm a murderer but I'm not a monster." I responded quietly, a stony edge to my tone as well as a hint of sadness, trying more to convince myself than to convince him.

"For the record, I don't think you're a monster," He replied, placing a hand over mine where it rested on the table. "Thank you... for saving my life." I responded with a small nod, allowing his hand to remain on mine before our conversation was cut short as Barry and Caitlin's planning came to an end. He quickly removed his hand from mine as he re-joined the others and I released a breath I hadn't realised I'd been holding.

After unnecessarily going over the plan once more, I adjusted my hood and reluctantly allowed Barry to take me in his arms. He'd reasoned that it would make more sense for him to carry me to where we needed to go, so that he didn't have to wait for me to get there in my own time. I'd attempted to argue this point for a while before giving in, willing to let him take me there however remaining unhappy about the arrangement. I ensured he wouldn't see my face as I squirmed uncomfortably in his arms, more than ready to get to where we needed to go so he could put me down. It took only a few moments to reach the location, the unfamiliar speed and the wind whipping past leaving me slightly unsteady on my feet for a few moments after Barry placed me down. I took a moment to gather myself and get my bearings in the large warehouse before retrieving my daggers from my coat and falling into a defensive stance. A quiet crackle sounded in my ear before the clear voice of Cisco Ramon flowed through the earpiece.

"Okay so, the trail of breadcrumbs we left should lead Mr Scratch right to your location any time now, so keep your guard up." I snorted a laugh at the name of the deadly killer we were hunting.

"Mr Scratch? That's what you're going with?" I questioned dubiously with a chuckle.

"It's cool. Now stop making fun of me and concentrate unless you want to die." I rolled my eyes at his dramatic response before returning to my previous state, listening and watching my surroundings carefully.

"I'm going to get a better viewpoint." I whispered in Barry's direction before running stealthily towards a raised walkway and leaping forward, pulling myself silently and quickly up over the metal railings. I stalked across the walkway, gaining a much better view of the entire warehouse from this height, hoping that being hidden might give me the element of surprise when our guest finally joined us. The metal handles of my daggers were cold in my hands, my usual gloves forgotten for tonight. I continued on my path along the walkway, scanning the ground below me for any movement. The heavy footsteps of Barry Allen caught my attention as they echoed off the tall walls. I rolled my eyes as he came into view, trying and failing to hide stealthily behind a large crate.

"Would you like to walk a little bit louder, I don't think the entirety of Central City heard you coming. Also, you may want to hide behind a slightly larger crate." I whispered in annoyance through our coms.

"Sorry." He apologised quietly, shuffling away from his currently hiding spot and finding a crate that accommodated his height a bit better. My attention was quickly pulled away from my useless excuse of a partner for the night and towards another set of footsteps from the other side of the warehouse. I crouched down, peering through the railings of the walkway to get a better view of our guest.

"He's here." I muttered, alerting my partner to the presence of our target. I gripped my blades tighter in my hands as I moved silently towards somewhere that gave me a clear path to my target. "Distract him, I've got this." I added quickly.

"Remember we're catching him, not killing him." I rolled my eyes at Barry's comment before replying.

"Got it."

Once I'd moved into a better position with a clear path to the newly named Mr Scratch, I readied myself for my chance. A blur of red rushed past, momentarily distracting the target and giving me the opportunity I needed. Without hesitation, I launched myself from the walkway and down towards the ground below me, landing on top of my target with a thud before rolling away and back onto my feet. He regained his composure much faster than I'd expected, throwing himself towards me with his arms outstretched. I narrowly avoided him as I ducked beneath his arms, managing to land a cut on his leg as I passed. I heard him hiss in pain as he turned back towards me, sharp talon like claws on the ends of his fingers caught my eye as I steadied myself.

"He has claws." I informed whoever was listening.

"He has what?!" Came the confused response of Cisco.

"Claws! He has claws on his hands!" I exclaimed, once again narrowly avoiding the sharp nails that threatened to pierce my skin. I lashed out with my blade once again, catching what I thought was his hand before he was thrown to the side by the Flash, the both of them tumbling onto the ground together. I paused as they continued their scuffle, the end of a large claw lay on the ground at my feet, a thick green liquid pooling out of the open space within it. A sudden realisation hit me as I turned my attention back to the pair fighting beside me. They had both returned to a standing position with Barry looking slightly worse for wear as he swayed on his feet.

"Don't let him scratch you!" I yelled as I threw myself between my delirious partner and the man leaping towards him. Shoving Barry aside I suffered the full brunt of our target's force, a sharp pain radiating from my stomach as I sunk my own blade into his body. I barely registered his blood pooling onto the ground as my entire body began to burn. The sensation spread quickly through my veins, paralysing my limbs in pain. The burning sensation was accompanied by the familiar sting of the deep wound across my stomach, leaving me unable to move from my position on the ground. I'd never felt pain like this, despite all the injuries I'd suffered throughout the years. My head was spinning as I barely registered a voice calling out to me, the words sounding distant and muffled as if I was underwater. Regardless of my injuries, I was able to notice that my hood had fallen away from my face, forcing my body through the pain to reach up and pull in back over my face. I managed to bat away a hand that attempted to remove it, mumbling out an incoherent sentence before I was scooped up from the ground.

Barry's POV

My head was spinning, the tiny scratch on my arm burning as my body fought to defend me from the poison. My vision was slowly coming back into focus as I was thrown to the ground by the assassin, out of the path of the poisonous meta-human. I quickly pulled myself to my feet, becoming aware of the fatal wound that Mr Scratch had suffered at Manea's hand.

"He's dead," I informed Cisco through the earpiece before turning my attention to my partner. I turned towards her just as she pulled her hood back over her face, fighting to protect her identity despite the obvious pain she was suffering. I moved quickly towards, her noticing the large wound across her stomach, her blood flowing from the cut whilst a dark shadow spread through her veins. Knowing what a tiny scratch with this poison had felt like on me, with my healing abilities, meant I could only imagine the pain she was in right now. I attempted to remove her hood from her face to check if she was alright only to be batted away. Respecting her need for anonymity and realising there were more important issues at hand, I left her hood over her face, opting to scoop her into my arms and get her back to S.T.A.R. Labs as quickly as possible.

 **Yes, I am finally back. It has been a long time but Uni and life got in the way and I apologise for my slight hiatus. As you can probably tell, we've had a slight change of name with our leading lady becoming Zarah Wilson. I promise I will get more chapters up as I'm all finished with uni now so I have all the time in the world! Thank you so far for all reviews I've received but please keep reviewing! I want to know everything you have to say about the story or the characters or the plot (mostly the plot also if u have any plot ideas throw them my way it would be much appreciated...)** **Much Love. Hilly**


	8. Chapter 8

_**DISCLAIMER: I only own Zarah Wilson/Manea and her character development. The story does not follow any story or character plotline laid out in The Flash TV show and therefore the story and character development will not correlate with those stories and plotlines.**_ **_Please leave a review if you've liked (or disliked) the story so far and if you want me to carry on writing :)_**

 **Cisco's POV**

We hadn't heard anything in a while, only silence filling the line as Caitlin and I waited anxiously to hear what had happened. All we'd heard were the sounds of a fairly intense fight followed by Barry telling us Mr Scratch was dead and since then it had been radio silence. Neither Caitlin or I had said a word, the tension in the room hanging heavily upon both of us as we did the only thing we could do. Waited. My mind began to wander, covering in detail all the ways this could possibly have gone wrong and all the awful outcomes that could have come to pass. Obviously Mr Scratch was dead, that much we knew, but what else had happened? Why hadn't we got any word back? Perhaps Barry was hurt, or dead, maybe we were stupid to trust Manea and now that the person threatening her anonymity was dead she'd turned around and killed Barry. I shook that thought from my head, knowing that she hadn't done anything to threaten any of us before, and reasoning that we shouldn't expect her to do anything to hurt us now. Perhaps it wasn't Barry that was hurt, maybe somehow she'd ended up getting injured, or even killed. This thought sent a pang of dread through me, my stomach aching with a sick feeling that confused me slightly. I tried to convince myself that she couldn't be hurt, she was too skilled for that, someone inexperienced wouldn't be able to overpower her easily. I noticed a growing pile of torn paper on the table in front of me, small shreds of what looked to have once been a receipt fluttering from my fingers as I anxiously ripped pieces off whilst I thought. I poked at the small pile of paper, occupying myself by shuffling the pieces around in front of me whilst I continued to worry. The small pile had just finished being rearranged into an unidentifiable shape which I think was supposed to be some sort of animal when a gust of wind blew them from the table and across the room, littering the floor. My breath hitched in my throat as I observed the scene before me. Barry's already red suit was now stained dark with blood whilst Manea hung limp in his arms. Blood also covered her, spreading from her stomach up over her chest and arms, leaving no space uncovered. I froze on the spot, taking in the scene whilst my body struggled to catch up with my brain, my attention fixed on the crimson liquid saturating a strand of blonde hair which hung over her shoulder, the occasional drip splashing onto the floor in the same way the rain had just a few hours earlier. Finally, my brain and body synchronised, urging me towards the scene and ushering everyone towards Caitlin in the lab.

"Oh my god, what happened?!" Caitlin exclaimed when we entered the room, immediately switching to doctor mode as she instructed Barry towards a bed and began to tend to the injured assassin.

"He managed to scratch me and it threw me off for a while," He began to explain but I was only half listening, still watching Manea intently, "I was dizzy and my vision was blurred and next thing I know she's yelling and throwing me to the ground. Once I'd managed to get myself together Mr Scratch was already dead and she was laying on the ground beside him. Guys that poison is strong, a tiny scratch nearly knocked me out, I honestly don't know how she's still alive." I didn't realise it was possible but at that moment, the mood turned even more solemn than it already was, each of us questioning whether she was going to survive. Her hood still shrouded her face in shadow and a selfish part of me told me to uncover it, despite what she had told me earlier, but as Caitlin reached out to remove the hood I found myself doing the opposite.

"Stop," I called as I reached out and grabbed Caitlin's hand just before she reached the hood. "Don't take the hood off, she wouldn't want that."

"Cisco I need to, I have to check her vitals!" She argued back but I stood my ground.

"Earlier she told me that she wears it for security, not only to protect herself but to protect everyone else. Maybe knowing who she is - is too dangerous, I don't think it's a good idea for us to know. Check what you can without taking it off, or if you have to take off the hood at least leave the mask on." I watched her intently, releasing her arm but remaining in my place between her and the bed. Finally, Caitlin relented to my wishes, finding a way to treat her without uncovering her face, leaving the hood to cast its shadow over her features and just removing the jacket from around her body. Resigning myself to the fact that I couldn't really help at this point, I opted to stand to the side and watch, assisting whenever Caitlin asked me to, feeling my hope for her survival dwindling by the second.

"I've stopped the bleeding and I can fix the cut, but I don't know how to treat the poison." Caitlin sighed in exasperation as she pulled her hair back into a messy ponytail to keep the strands out of her face.

"Can't you make an anti-venom from the samples we have?" I questioned, even though I'm sure that if that was possible it would have been done already.

"I don't have enough, we only have traces after all the tests I ran. I can't do anything unless I have more." The sudden disappearance of Barry from the room caught our attention, sending each other curious glances as we waited for him to return. As suddenly as he had left, he was back, holding a small tub in his hand which he quickly passed to Caitlin.

"She managed to cut him whilst they were fighting, this is one of his claws where the venom came from. Is this enough?" He asked hopefully as I watched on with equal hope. The way Caitlin snatched the tub from his hand and grinned gave us the answer we needed.

"I'll get started on the anti-venom," She declared with a smile before her expression dropped once again, "Lets' just hope she doesn't die before I'm done."

It had been a few hours since Caitlin had finished with the anti-venom and had administered it to Manea. It had worked much faster than we anticipated, with the poison beginning to leave her system immediately. The colour had returned to her skin and the dark poison that filled her veins had receded, leaving the large stitched up cut across her stomach as the only visible wound from the fight. I'd tried to keep my distance, not wanting to come across as though I cared more than I should, although I'd stopped denying that to myself the moment Barry had carried her in covered in blood. There was something about her I couldn't put my finger on, and I'd never been one to give up once I wanted to pursue something. When Caitlin had asked that someone keep as eye on her I'd jumped at the chance, too quickly for my liking but I hadn't been able to stop myself, so that's where I'd been, sat beside her for the last 2 hours or so. There had been more than one moment when I'd wanted to take off her hood, to see her face, but her words from earlier still stuck in my head. As well as that, if I ever found out her identity I wanted her to be the one to reveal it. That's how secret identities are always discovered in movies and comics, the hero takes off their mask in a dramatic and emotional scene where they finally reveal who they really are and it's normally raining and someone's often crying. Call me cliché but I wanted to stick with tradition on this one. At some point I'd dozed off in my chair, my eyes becoming too heavy after today's drama. I don't know how long I'd been asleep when I was woken by a gentle groan and cough beside me. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes I willed my mind back to the present and turned to the girl beside me. She groaned again as she attempted to lift her body to a seated position, quickly dropping back into the pillow as she winced in pain.

"Hey, don't try and move, you got pretty beat up back there," I spoke in a hushed voice as I directed her back to the safety of the bed.

"What the hell happened?" She sighed, allowing herself to relax back into the soft pillow, raising one hand to weakly prod at the bandages that wrapped tightly around her middle.

"Well, you killed the bad guy, you saved Barry's life, and you very nearly died," I explained with a lopsided grin as she chuckled.

"So just a normal day then really," We both laughed at her response before she winced in pain again, the laughter aggravating her injury. "So, how come I'm not dead? Surely that would make you guys' life much easier." She chuckled again, but with a much darker tone laced within the sound.

"We weren't going te leave you to die," I stated with a frown, the thought that she had even considered that we would let her die bothered me greatly. "Caitlin made an anti-venom from the poison in the claw you cut off, and she fixed up that big cut across your stomach."

"Remind me to thank her later," She mumbled in response before suddenly falling silent. "Did you... have you-"

"None of us have seen your face." I cut her off, answering her question before she'd even asked it. She seemed to relax at this knowledge, nodding softly.

"Why? I thought you'd jump at the chance, especially you." Her question didn't surprise me, and her assumptions brought a smile to my face.

"Trust me, I thought about taking a peek more than once."

"So, why didn't you?" I waited before I replied, thinking about the reasons I hadn't. I wasn't about to divulge my weird superhero comic book ideas to her just yet, so I settled for the simplest explanation.

"I know you wouldn't want that. Plus, you said you didn't only wear it to protect yourself, but also to protect others, and I for one, don't want to become a target because I know you, thank you very much." I raised an eyebrow with a smirk as she laughed, pulling herself into a seated position with much more success this time. "I should probably get Caitlin to come take a look at you." I rose from my seat and began to make my way towards the door to search for Caitlin before I was called back.

"Cisco. Thank you, for everything. And I'm glad you're okay now too." She spoke with a sincerity that surprised me and I sent a nod back in her direction before turning and exiting the room.

"She's awake? And she seems okay?" Caitlin quizzed me as we made our way back to the lab a few minutes later.

"Yep, her usual sarcastic and dramatic self," I replied with a grin, following close behind as Caitlin pushed the lab door open, only to stop suddenly inside the entrance. "What's wro-" I was cut off before I finished as I peered into the room and noticed that the previously occupied bed was now empty.

"She's gone," I stated, causing Caitlin to roll her eyes at the obviousness of my statement. "She can't just be gone, she could barely sit up a few minutes ago."

"Lets' be honest Cisco, how long did we expect her to stick around? Obviously, I would have preferred to have checked her out before she left but I'm sure she's been injured plenty of times before. She knows how to and probably prefers to take care of herself." I know Caitlin's reasoning was perfectly sound, but it didn't change the disappointment that filled me at seeing her the empty space she'd left behind. Caitlin began to clear up the lab as I stripped the bloodied sheets from the bed, trying to help just a little bit. As I pulled the sheets towards me I heard a gentle thud as a small black square fell to the floor. I reached down to pick it up and on closer inspection, I could see that it was a small leather diary. After glancing around to ensure no one else had seen I pocketed the book and threw the sheets into the bin, opting to leave Caitlin to clear up the lab herself. I headed back to my desk, dropping into the seat and leaning back with a sigh. I removed the journal from my pocket and slipped it into my bag, deciding to save that bit of reading for when I was at home away from the prying eyes of my co-workers. As I threw my bag back under the desk, a slip of paper poking out from beneath my keyboard caught my eye. Curiosity filled me as I slipped the paper out from its hiding place, turning it over to reveal a neatly scrawled message.

I saved you, you saved me. Now we're even. See you around Cisco Ramon.

I grinned at the note, tucking it into my pocket before leaning back into my chair with a laugh, finding myself eager for my next encounter with the mystery assassin.

 **Two chapters in one day?! Clearly, I have no life now. I wasn't planning on uploading this today, I wasn't even planning on writing it but then it just happened, so here ya go! Much love, Hilly**


	9. Chapter 9

_**DISCLAIMER: I only own Zarah Wilson/Manea and her character development. The story does not follow any story or character plotline laid out in The Flash TV show and therefore the story and character development will not correlate with those stories and plotlines.**_ **_Please leave a review if you've liked (or disliked) the story so far and if you want me to carry on writing :)_**

I woke slowly this morning, a few days after the Mr Scratch incident, gradually returning to the world as I squinted, blurry eyed, at the stream of golden light peeking through my curtains. The room was silent aside for the gentle chirping of birds outside my window and the steady hum of traffic from the street below. For a quiet moment, everything was peaceful, my entire body and mind felt relaxed as I allowed the soft blankets to envelop me. I watched the specks of dust floating aimlessly through the sun's rays, twisting and turning as a gentle breeze crept in through the slightly open window. If only every morning filled me with this sense of peace and serenity. Unfortunately, my haven was not made to last, as a sharp sting across my midriff dragged me back to reality. I sighed, burying my face into my pillow with a groan, delaying my departure from my nest of blankets for as long as I could manage. It took me a few moments of careful manoeuvring to finally get out of bed without aggravating the already painful wound. I set myself a mental reminder to find painkillers asap. I stumbled into my slippers, using the bedside table to steady myself before wrapping myself up in my dressing gown and shuffling from the room. I caught a quick glimpse of myself as I passed my mirror, attempting to stifle a laugh as I went back and examined my appearance. The dark circles under my eyes and birds nest of hair which hung in an attempted ponytail and stuck out at all angles was comedic enough without being paired with my white fluffy dressing gown and bunny rabbit slippers. Deadly assassin my ass.

I turned away from my dishevelled reflection and continued to shuffle forward on my journey to the kitchen. I made a beeline for the cabinet where my pharmaceuticals lived, opting for a couple of paracetamol to slightly numb the pain, before continuing on to the fridge. I spent a few moments scanning the limited and frankly embarrassing lack of food I had considering I was supposed to be a fully functioning adult. Unable to muster the strength or motivation to cook anything, I grabbed my dwindling supply of milk and settled for searching the cupboards for cereal. Note to self: go grocery shopping soon. Perhaps I would do that today, I couldn't think of anything worse than being holed up in this flat all day, and I'm sure I could manage a bit of shopping without getting myself killed. It took longer than usual for me to choke down my slightly stale cereal and probably about to reach its use-by date milk, any energy I'd ever had seemingly gone from my body. The bowl ended up thrown haphazardly into the sink, my exhausted limbs telling me to deal with that later. Next on the morning to-do list, shower. The thought had crossed my mind that it might be difficult and also painful to shower with my still fresh wound, but I pushed that to the back of my mind, reasoning that I smelled gross and had barely left my bed or dressing gown in nearly 4 days, so the pain would be necessary. I caught a glimpse of the scar as I removed my dressing gown, dropping it to the floor where it pooled around my feet. For a moment I examined it, Caitlin's neat stitches holding my skin together in what would surely be a very large and very obvious scar. I chewed on my lip as I considered the scar it would leave, resigning myself to a life without crop tops from now on. The warm water was welcome to my skin once I finally stepped into the shower, carefully positioning myself in a way so that the water wouldn't hit my stitches with too much force. Luckily for my delicate wound, my shower barely delivered a light drizzle, something I'd not been thankful for until now. I spent longer than was necessary allowing the water to run over me, cleaning my body and soothing my aching muscles until my fingers began to wrinkle. Finally, I dragged myself from the warm waters, getting dressed slowly and with caution. Thankfully it was an uncharacteristically warm and sunny day, which meant I could get away with a dress which wouldn't catch my stitches in the same way that my jeans would, something that pleased me to no end. Once I'd donned my floatiest and least clingy dress and attempted to cover my dark circles, I pulled on my converse, grabbed my bag and headed (slowly) for the door.

It took me a lot longer than it normally would to walk to the store, but given my current state and the beautiful weather, it didn't bother me. Plus, I had nothing better to do today so I might as well spend it in the sunshine. Deciding to take my time with my errands today ended with me taking a detour to the only café in the vicinity that served a decent cup of coffee, and the place I'd first met a certain olive skinned geek. I smiled at the memory of our first encounter as I placed my order, deciding I'd take it to go and sit in the nearby park. Once I'd found an empty bench, I made myself comfortable, sipping at my coffee and watching the people going about their daily lives. Children played without a care in the park down the hill, their parents either watching on with a smile or buried in deep conversation with another parent. Others jogged by with their headphones in, oblivious to any world but their own. Dog walkers conversed as their animals explored the exciting sights and smells to be found all around them. The simple moments in life were the ones I found most fascinating, and the ones I craved more than anything, never having experienced them myself. Thankfully I was saved from falling down that rabbit hole of self-pitying misery when my phone began to buzz, meaning I had to face the task of digging through my bag in search of it before I missed the call. I finally located it, pressing accept despite the fact it was an unknown number calling, something I usually ignored.

"Hello?" I answered questioningly, curious to discover the identity of my caller.

 _"Hey, Zarah!"_ The familiar voice answered animatedly, alerting me to exactly who it was. _"It's Cisco if you hadn't worked that out already."_

"Hey Cisco, yeah the excitement in your opening greeting kinda gave it away." I laughed, grinning down the phone like an idiot.

 _"Right, I'll work on toning down that maybe..."_

"No, no, please maintain that excitement, it's already improved my day."

 _"Well then, how about I try to improve it a bit more..."_ He began, sparking my curiosity.

"Oh? How are you planning on doing that?" I queried, repositioning on the bench as I tucked my legs under me and took a sip from my coffee.

 _"I know it's super short notice, but I desperately need a coffee and if you're not busy perhaps you could join me?"_ He asked, his voice hopeful as he waited for my reply. I glanced at the coffee in my hand, mentally reprimanding myself for deviating from my planned shopping trip for the drink before shrugging and tossing it into the bin beside me.

"Sure, I could use coffee," I replied, with another shrug before realising he couldn't see me and rolling my eyes at myself.

" _Great! Okay so, meet me at Jitters in like 15 minutes?"_

"Perfect, I'll see you then." He agreed with far too much enthusiasm for an early morning before hanging up the phone. I sighed, glancing at my discarded coffee before hauling myself from my seat and starting on my way back to the coffee shop I'd just visited around 20 minutes earlier. If the guy who served me didn't think I was weird enough for grinning to myself earlier, he was surely going to question my sanity now.

Once again, it took me longer than it usually would have to get to Jitters, which I realised as I arrived and spotted Cisco attempting to look casual as he leant against the wall tapping away at his phone. I failed to stop the smile that crept across my face, and as hard as I tried, I couldn't rid myself of that warm feeling that started in my stomach and radiated throughout my body.

"Morning genius," I grinned as he fumbled with his phone, almost dropping it at my surprise appearance.

"God Zarah, you scared me," He sighed with a small chuckle, shoving his phone into his pocket before swinging the café door open with one hand and gesturing with the other. "After you."

"Oh, such a gentleman," I teased with a wink as I entered the coffee shop, making out as though I was perusing the menu when I knew full well I was just going to be replacing the same drink I'd thrown away earlier.

"So, what are you having? My treat of course." He asked as he joined the queue.

"Holding doors open _and_ buying my coffee, you're on a roll," He smirked at my exaggerated compliment, rolling his eyes as he waited for my order. "Vanilla latte please." He relayed my order to the guy on the register, who shot me a slightly confused look which I refused to acknowledge as I looked anywhere else but in his direction. Thankfully, our drinks were made quickly, so I could snatch it up and disappear to the other side of the room. We found a table near the back, settling into our seats opposite each other on the small circular table. I winced slightly as I took my seat, the movement tugging at my stitches, something that unfortunately didn't go unnoticed by my date.

"You okay?" He queried as I attempted to ignore the dull ache that now spread across my midriff.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just twisted my ankle this morning. Must've stepped on it funny as I sat down." I lied easily, watching him to see if he bought it. It appeared to have worked as he nodded and took a sip of his coffee. We fell into a comfortable silence for a moment, which I took as my opportunity to observe my company. I started to notice things that I hadn't before, like the way he tapped his fingers against his cup as he drank, and the small creases that appeared at the corners of his eyes when he smiled. I was fully aware that I was staring, but I didn't really mind especially as it seemed he was doing the same to me. Both of us trying to seem subtle as we very un-subtly analysed each other over our cups of coffee. One thing that didn't escape my attention was how tired he looked, something that I most definitely mirrored despite my attempts to cover it with makeup. It didn't surprise me, knowing that he spent his free time working alongside a meta-human superhero, that had to take its toll after a while. Eventually, we reached a point where we both realised that the silence was reaching an awkward point, and that conversation was now necessary.

"So, Cisco, you never told me what you do. Obviously, I saw you at that crime scene in my apartment complex a while back, do you work for the police too like your friend?" I feigned ignorance as I asked a question I already knew the answer to thanks to my internet stalking and double life.

"No, I was just helping out while he was busy, I work at S.T.A.R. labs." I nodded with a look of interest before continuing my questioning.

"I thought that place was all shut down after the particle accelerator incident?"

"It was, mostly, but we still got some stuff going on there." He replied, avoiding going into detail.

"How interestingly vague," I laughed, taking a sip of my own drink.

"How about you, what do you do?" He turned the subject to me, something I'd never particularly liked when it meant dragging out a cover story. I often tried to stick to the truth as much as I could, which wasn't hard to do as I'd been in the city so long that my cover story had almost become a reality.

"I am a currently unemployed psychology major making a frankly abysmal amount of money slaving away as a waitress." The lies slipped off my tongue easily, a skill I'd mastered after years of aliases and covers. It was true I'd got a part-time waitressing job while I'd been here, not as a necessity but to back up my lies should the moment ever arise. "But let's steer away from that depressing subject and move onto something more interesting. Find out anything else about your mystery assassin turned saviour?" He excitedly accepted the topic change, his eyes practically lighting up at the mention of my other identity.

"Actually, I met her again. It was a totally weird set of circumstances but she ended up getting hurt and my friend that I work with, Caitlin, had to help her." He explained, brushing past any detailed explanation of the circumstances that led to this meeting. "Obviously, I helped too." He added as an afterthought.

"That does sound like a weird set of circumstances... perhaps she just can't stay away from you," I suggested with a smirk, earning a loud laugh from my company.

"Well, what can I say, all it takes is one meeting and they just keep coming back for more." He winked, shrugging playfully.

"Tell me about it, how do you think I ended up here." I joked, taking another sip of my coffee. An earlier though suddenly resurfaced itself as a reminder. I'd realised not long after I left S.T.A.R. Labs that in my pain and haste, I'd carelessly dropped my notebook. The notebook that held the names of all my previous and future targets. Yeah, well done Zarah, idiot.

"All your research and chance meetings got me curious, so I did a bit of my own research on this Manea character. I read online that she has this notebook that she carries everywhere with her, and a bunch of the theories are that it's where she keeps the names of all her targets. Pretty cool huh? And also kinda dumb if she ever misplaced it..." I attempted to remain casual, realising that I was most likely making things very obvious, but continuing none-the-less. "You ever got a glimpse of the famous notebook?" He paused before replying, a hint of something flashing across his eyes as he acknowledged my words.

"A notebook huh? Nope, can't say I've ever seen that, but you're right, it does seem like a kinda dumb idea," His response was a bit too casual, sounding slightly forced which alerted me to the fact he was lying. Okay, so at least I knew where my book was now. I'd rather know it's in his hands that have it floating around the city. Our conversation quickly returned to lighter topics after that, casual discussion regarding our interests taking over, often leading to Cisco excitedly rambling about some technological topics that I didn't quite understand. After we'd spent far too long talking and avoiding the world, long after our drinks had been finished, we stood to leave. We were almost at the door when someone called out to Cisco, stopping us in our tracks. I turned to see Barry Allen leaning against a table, accompanied by a dark-haired girl whom I knew to be called Iris. I waited patiently as they greeted each other, conversing for a moment before Cisco turned back to me and gestured for me to join them.

"Guys, this is Zarah – Zarah, this is Barry and Iris." I smiled politely, greeting both of them with as much enthusiasm as I could muster as I struggled to ignore the growing pain in my abdomen. I hadn't missed the glancing looks of suspicion that I was receiving from Barry, the fact that we'd been up close and personal just a few days earlier only increasing his chances of working out who I was, a fact that made me anxious beyond words. We'd exchanged a few words of polite conversation when I noticed Barry's gaze cast downwards from my face, concern flashing across his features, along with what looked like a hint of realisation as his mind began to piece things together.

"Hey uh, you're bleeding," He stated, gesturing towards my stomach, where a small patch of blood had soaked into my dress. At least I hadn't decided on the white dress this morning.

"Oh, are you okay?" Cisco asked with concern, resting his hand on my back as he glanced between my eyes and the spot on my dress.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine," I smiled calmly, pushing down my anxiety as I waved my hand in dismissal, sending Barry a smile that I'd unknowingly laced with the hint of a threat, "I managed to cut myself this morning, I must have just aggravated it when I moved, it's nothing." Although they didn't seem overly convinced by my explanation, I decided that it would have to do and that this was my moment to leave, the pain radiating from my cut becoming harder to mask under a smile.

"Anyway, I better go finish my errands, and I should also probably change," I chuckled, taking a few steps back as I made to leave.

"Okay, it was great to see you today," Cisco smiled sheepishly, ignoring the smirks that plastered his friend's faces behind him. I agreed with his sentiment, offering my own smile in return. "So, any chance of a second date?" He added, donning a more confident smirk. I paused at the door, turning back towards him as I considered my answer. Not that it needed any consideration, I just enjoyed making him wait.

"I'll call you," I responded, throwing him a wink before I slipped out of the door and back into the sunshine, the warm rays adding to my already excellent mood.

Cisco's POV

While I was still on a high from mine and Zarah's successful date earlier, there was something at the back of my mind that I couldn't quite push down. Something about her had me curious, but I wasn't quite sure what it was yet. I honestly hadn't been able to fault her, she was beautiful, smart, she laughed at my terrible jokes and put up with my nerd fuelled rambling, but when she'd mentioned the assassin it had sparked a suspicion in me. Mostly it was the mention of the journal, which was currently in my possession, something I'd been sure not to mention. Now, I had scoured those message boards and conspiracy sites and not once had I come across any mention of the notebook. It was entirely possible that Zarah had just spotted a comment that I'd missed, but it was highly unlikely seeing as I'd dedicated weeks to my research, leaving no stone unturned. So, if my suspicions were correct and she wasn't being truthful about where she found the information, then how could she have possibly known about the book? I knew it was probably a stupid idea and that I'd regret it, but my inability to quell my suspicions ended in me spending the next few hours searching the internet to find anything and everything I could on Zarah Wilson.

I sunk back in my chair in defeat, tapping rhythmically on the desk as I contemplated the information I'd managed to dig up, what little of it there was. From the limited intelligence I'd gathered, I now knew that both of Zarah's parents had been killed in a house fire when she was just a child, after which both her and her younger sister, Natalia Wilson, had disappeared without a trace. That was until now of course. There wasn't a shred of information on either her or her sister after their parents died, which was impossible as two orphaned children were certain to leave a paper trail through social services. A task that I'd hoped would ease my mind had only given strength to my suspicions, leaving me in a worse position than when I had started. My mind drifted back to when Barry had pointed out she was bleeding, another thought that had been irritating me since our date. Her explanation was weak, and although she kept her composure and played it off like it was nothing, the multiple times I'd seen her wince when she moved told me otherwise. I sighed, running my hands through my hair before rubbing my tired eyes. A glance at the clock told me that I'd been sat here for much longer than I'd realised and that it was definitely time for me to go home, something that everyone else had done hours earlier. Despite everything I'd found out today, I couldn't help but feel excited at the prospect of another date, having to restrain myself multiple times when I'd nearly given in and texted or called her. Although my suspicions were at an all-time high, and at this point, I was certain she was hiding something, I still fell asleep that night with the image of her smile at the forefront of my mind.

 **Here's chapter 9! And here's to hoping my ability and enthusiasm to write continues for longer than a few days so I can actually get some chapters done. As usual, please review, follow, favourite etc! Much love, Hilly**


	10. Chapter 10

**_DISCLAIMER: I only own Zarah Wilson/Manea and her character development. The story does not follow any story or character plotline laid out in The Flash TV show and therefore the story and character development will not correlate with those stories and plotlines._** _**Please leave a review if you've liked (or disliked) the story so far and if you want me to carry on writing :)**_

Cisco's POV

"Seriously?! Another gorgeous but highly skilled and deadly woman terrorising the city? This would be awesome if they weren't criminals." I exclaimed once I'd heard the news. Another woman causing mayhem throughout the city, using people to carry out her robberies and then discarding them, leaving them with no memory of what they did. All that her victims were left with was the memory of a beautiful woman, a woman they claimed that they couldn't resist doing anything for.

"Really Cisco...? That's what you're taking away from this?" Caitlin rolled her eyes, displeased at the details I'd chosen to focus on. I shrugged in response, suppressing a grin of excitement at our new mission. "Plus, you say 'another' like we know what Manea looks like. You don't know what's under that hood."

"Trust me, she's got the face of an angel behind that mask, I can just tell." At that, both Caitlin and Barry turned away from me to continue discussing the new issue that faced us, though I didn't miss the ghost of a smirk that crossed Barry's lips before he looked away.

"So, I have a theory..." Caitlin began to explain. I raised my eyebrows in anticipation of what she was about to say, her expression betraying her uncertainty about her idea. "All of her victims have been men, who can't remember anything about what they've done apart from a beautiful woman who they had an uncontrollable urge to bend to the wishes of... does that sound familiar at all?"

"So what, you think she's like, controlling their minds or something?" Barry asked, not catching on with what she was suggesting. Luckily, I could see exactly where she was going with this, and the perfect supervillain name had already come to me.

"Siren," I announced with a grin, pleased with myself at the idea. "Luring in men and making them do her bidding just like a Siren, it's the perfect name."

"So you think she can only affect men?" Barry interjected with another question directed at Caitlin.

"It's possible," She began, her mind visibly going over the details in her head as she spoke, "Though it's also possible that she just prefers to use men."

"Either way, we're gonna have to be careful with this one, maybe I can make some sort of device that stops her power from working on us, or just stops it altogether... I'll get on it" I announced, leaving the room to begin creating my device in the hopes it might make things go a little smoother when we inevitably went after her.

Zarah's POV

I grinned as I scanned the newspaper headline, taking a sip from my morning coffee as I settled into the soft sofa cushions before delving into the article. It amused and pleased me greatly to see a powerful woman making men do her bidding and gaining from it, a sense of pride for all strong females washing over me as I focused on the details. Six very successful robberies in the last two weeks, she sure wasn't holding back. I considered for a moment how handy it would be for me if I was a meta-human with this kind of ability, a sly smile gracing my features as I imagined it. My thoughts quickly turned to Cisco, Barry and Caitlin, who were no doubt at this point devising a plan to take her down. I wonder what name Cisco would come up for this one. I'd bet all I have that he'll go with 'Siren', it was the obvious choice but very fitting. Cisco and I had texted back and forth for the last few days, and while everything seemed normal I couldn't fight the anxious voice in my head that told me he knew something was up. Though he hadn't mentioned anything since, besides asking if I was okay after I'd embarrassingly bled all over my dress on our date, something told me he wasn't as oblivious to my lies as he made out. Moving on from my boy troubles, I'd reminded myself that it was far from being the most important issue in my life right now. Due to my extracurricular activities and my almost death, I'd been lacking when it came to the real reason I was even in Central City in the first place. I still hadn't managed to retrieve my notebook, meaning I hadn't gotten around to crossing any more names off the list, much to the displeasure of my employer. I knew the next name, I'd memorised almost all of them, so it wasn't really the lack of a list that was stopping me. I just wasn't on my A-game right now with my wound still healing, meaning I'd probably struggle to carry out the hit with as much care and efficiency that I'd usually strive for. Although none of that mattered to my employer, who had insisted I speed up my efforts if I wanted our deal to stand, a threat that certainly didn't fall on deaf ears and prompted me to quickly devise my plan for my next victim. Luckily, before everything had happened I'd already started my research on the unfortunate Mr Adam Hunt, already having the information I needed to construct my plan, meaning it took me no more than a few hours before I was ready to go, darkness just beginning to shroud the city. I re-bandaged my wound just in case, the once raw stitched up cut now close to being healed, the shooting pains gradually decreasing to a dull ache over the last few days. I began to prepare myself, falling into my usual routine as though I'd never taken a break, covering my face with my mask and pulling my hood over my hair, taking a moment to compose myself before leaving out of my back window and descending the fire escape.

Caitlin's POV

It had been radio silence for far too long for my liking, my anxiety rising more every second I didn't hear anything back from either of the boys. I'd heard nothing from Iris either, who'd insisted on going along just in case, considering the whole 'controlling men' situation. The fact that she also hadn't replied was definitely cause for concern, meaning I'd occupied myself by pacing back and forth in the lab, praying that things hadn't gone terribly wrong. A crackle came through the coms followed by the frantic voice or Iris.

"Caitlin, everything has gone terribly wrong," she informed me, repeating my earlier thoughts right back at me, causing a sinking feeling in my chest.

"What happened?! Get back here now, all of you!" I struggled to contain the panic in my voice, just wanting everyone back here safe.

"That's not going to be possible, she's got both of them. They wouldn't listen to a word I said and then they just went with her." She explained, a sad edge to her tone.

"Just get back to the lab now, we'll work something out, we'll get them back." I calmed myself, receiving a quiet response from Iris before the coms fell silent once again.

It didn't have to wait long before Iris ran through the doors, throwing her earpiece down in a mixture of anger and exasperation.

"What the hell do we do now?! We can't fight her she's too good, and they can't fight her because they're both utterly smitten and bowing down to her every command." She continued to rant whilst I tried to formulate a plan, finally settling on the only option I could think of, much to my displeasure.

"I have an idea..." I suggested, chewing my lip as I considered whether it was a good idea, or a terrible one, "But it's probably a really stupid one."

"Tell me more..." She urged, keen to accept any plan we could think of.

"I know someone who can help, but we need to find her. I think I know how we can do that, but it's a long shot and she might just kill us."

"Are you suggesting who I think?" Iris looked surprised at my willingness to trust the assassin who, whilst giving us no reason to fear her, had also given us no reason to trust her. Finally, Iris seemed to give in, realising our options were limited and sighing as she dropped into the chair behind her. "Okay fine, how do we find her?"

"The day she disappeared from here after she was hurt, we were cleaning up the lab and Cisco was stripping the sheets and a book fell onto the floor. He picked it up thinking I hadn't seen and has kept it with him ever since," I continued to talk as I made my way to his desk, heading straight for the top drawer and pulling it open to reveal the small black notebook, "I saw him putting it in this drawer so I snooped when he was out, I think this list of names is her list of targets. It's a long shot, but I think if we find her next target, we might find her."

"That's one hell of a long shot," Iris frowned, taking the book from me and flicking through the pages before landing on a name, "But I suppose it's our only shot right now so, Adam Hunt, it's your lucky night." We shared a look before heading for the computer to begin our search for Mr Hunt.

Zarah's POV

I pulled myself silently up onto the fire escape, attempting to regain my line of sight on my target, who had moved away from the window of the bar he frequented at this time each week. I settled onto the metal railings, allowing the cool evening breeze to wash over me, distracting me from the dull ache that spread across my stomach where I'd aggravated my wound climbing around on fire escapes. Perhaps it was too soon to get back to work, but I didn't have much of a choice at this point. I stayed in this position for a while, listening to the quiet hum of traffic and the voices of the patrons in the bar below me, waiting patiently for Adam Hunt to leave the bar and give me my chance. It wasn't long before he returned to his seat, reclaiming his jacket and bidding a drunken farewell to his friends before turning and stumbling towards the door. This was my shot. I climbed expertly down from my perch, my footsteps silent as I followed closely behind my target as he made his way down the street. If I was correct, he should turn left down the next alley, a time saving shortcut to his apartment. As I'd predicted, he soon turned left, tumbling into the wall and fighting to regain his footing as he slipped on a discarded wrapper, wet from the earlier rain. I picked up my pace, gaining on him and preparing to finish the job when a hand grabbed my arm, yanking me to the side and away from my victim. My instincts kicked in as I pulled my dagger from its strap, twisting out of the mystery grabbers' grip and pinning them against the wall, my dagger held close to their throat as I prepared to question them. I quickly lowered my defences, re-sheathing my dagger and taking a step back when I found the familiar face of Caitlin Snow staring back at me in horror.

"You should never sneak up on an assassin Dr Snow, that's how you get yourself killed." I explained, a dark edge to my words that rendered her silent. She struggled to speak, stumbling over her words as she attempted to regain her composure, eventually giving up which meant the explanations were down to her partner.

"We need your help." Iris quickly explained, confident as she held her ground before me.

"And I would help you... why?" I asked, growing more irritated by the second as I realised that I'd missed my chance with Adam Hunt tonight, something my boss wouldn't be happy about.

"Because we saved your life," Caitlin finally found her words, adding her quiet input to the conversation.

"And I saved your friend's life, which makes us even, and means that I owe you nothing." I explained calmly, turning to leave as I decided I was done talking.

"Barry and Cisco are in trouble." Iris called out after me, halting me in my tracks. Dammit, I knew that boy would be my downfall. The thought of Cisco being in trouble bothered me much more than I would allow myself to accept, though my denial didn't stop that sinking feeling in my chest upon hearing Iris' words. I had no obligation to help them, we were even now and I could very easily just continue on my way, focusing on getting my job done so I could move on with my life. However, a part of me knew this wasn't an option as Caitlin and Iris waited anxiously for my response. I paused for a moment, considering my options before realising that I was most definitely going to regret my decision either way. I sighed, turning back to face them as they watched me in anticipation.

"How can I help?"


	11. Chapter 11

**_DISCLAIMER: I only own Zarah Wilson/Manea and her character development. The story does not follow any story or character plotline laid out in The Flash TV show and therefore the story and character development will not correlate with those stories and plotlines._** _**Please leave a review if you've liked (or disliked) the story so far and if you want me to carry on writing :)**_

Zarah's POV

"Okay, I'm sending you over the address now, but you're going to have to hurry. From what we've seen she doesn't like to stick around for long." Caitlin's voice came through my earpiece, filling me in on the details as I neared my destination. We hadn't needed to wait long before this Siren couldn't resist another robbery, giving me my chance to hopefully locate Barry and Cisco before they became willing accomplices to her crimes. Of course, we didn't know for sure that they would be with her, but given our limited time and options, this was the best we could do. I approached the building quietly, a small bank on the corner of a quiet street, not her usual target but perhaps she was just looking for a simple job tonight. I easily found an entrance around the back, tuning out Caitlin and Iris' incessant questioning as I pulled myself through the high open window and dropped into the room below with no more than a quiet thud. If I wanted to get in and out of here quickly with no casualties, I'd have to stay quiet and use the element of surprise to my advantage. As I approached the front of the building, I could hear the quiet whimpering of a worker who was unfortunate enough to be on the night shift today, along with the hushed voice of our target, calling out instructions to her puppets. My footsteps remained silent as I edged closer, careful to remain hidden behind a large pillar near the edge of the room.

"Lookie here boys, it seems we have a guest," Siren announced, turning and smirking in my direction where I was still concealed behind the pillar. Looks like the element of surprise was no longer an option then. I cursed inwardly, chastising myself for getting caught out as I exited my hiding spot and took a few steps out into the light. Making use of the distraction, the bank worker scurried past, slipping out of the back door to safety.

"You must be Manea," I narrowed my eyes at her statement, my hand hovering close to my dagger should I need it at short notice. "This one over here hasn't stopped yammering about ya." She continued in an unmistakably Southern accent, jabbing a thumb in the direction of a zoned out but smiling Cisco as he continued his job gathering her riches.

"I'm afraid we haven't had the pleasure of an introduction," I countered, relaxing my body language and leaning casually against the counter, "Though I have to say I'm a huge fan of your work." I continued to ignore the "what are you doing" 's and the "I knew we couldn't trust her" 's that I was receiving in my ear, deciding to try a new approach.

"Using men to get what you want has always been an interest of mine, and I have to say you do it very well." I smiled as she watched me suspiciously, a smirk tugging at her lips.

"Oh, flattery will get you everywhere darlin'," She giggled, resting one hand on her hip as she pointed at me with the other, shooting me a wink.

"Then perhaps we can come to an agreement," I started, my comment clearly sparking her interest as she watched me carefully.

"Do go on..." She urged, luckily for me, eager to hear what I had to say.

"Now, I was sent here to stop you, lock you up, perhaps even kill you if needed, but I don't think that's going to be necessary," I began my explanation, earning a raised eyebrow from her as she waited for me to continue. "Those two-" I started, pointing in the direction of Barry and Cisco, "they're what I'm really here for, so how about you release them from your control and then you leave Central City and take your criminal escapades elsewhere. We can all part ways in a civilised manner." Our sights remained locked on each other as she considered my offer, weighing up her options in her mind as I prayed that tonight could really be this simple. After a tense moment, she shot me a dazzling smile, waving her hand towards the boys as they fell from her spell, regaining control of their minds.

"All yours honey," Well that was easy. I kept my guard up as I watched Barry and Cisco slowly coming to their senses, dropping the stolen money that they held and attempting to understand what had happened.

"Cisco, Barry, lovely to have you back with us, now if you'll both come with me-" I started, gesturing for them to come to me before my sentence was cut off by a chuckle from Siren, a menacing glint in her eye as she began to speak.

"However, while I respect what y'all do, girl power and all, I don't really like people tellin me what I can and can't do, and I have sure grown to love this City," I readied myself for a fight as she regained control of the boys with a smile and a shrug, "Sorry to make things difficult but I'm gonna stick around for a while longer, and if you're gonna get in the way of that, well... boys? Help a girl out would ya." While I'd been more than prepared for a fight with Siren, I definitely wasn't prepared to fight Cisco and Barry. I mean, Cisco I could handle, muttering out an apology as he approached me I swung my arm towards him, the handle of my dagger connecting with his temple. I winced, reasoning that he'd understand as he fell to the ground knocked unconscious. Now I just had Barry to deal with, which wasn't going to be easy. If I could get him out of her control then everything would be fine, she wouldn't be difficult to stop between the two of us. Now, I just had to work out how to do that. Knowing full well that I didn't stand much of a chance in hand-to-hand combat with him, I opted for a different approach.

"Barry, this isn't you, she's controlling you - you just need to fight her!" I attempted to explain, earning a loud laugh from Siren as she watched on in amusement.

"Oh, sweetheart that ain't gonna work!" I rolled my eyes as I ignored her words, searching my brain for an idea. I somehow managed to avoid the first few swings he'd taken at me, ducking behind the counter for protection as an idea finally formed. I dug through my pockets, quickly pulling out my phone and dialling a number before hitting call. I muttered a quick explanation through the coms before turning the phone to speaker and emerging from my hiding spot, praying that this plan would work. I held up the phone towards Barry as the familiar voice of Iris sounded from the speaker.

"Barry, it's Iris. You've gotta fight her, you can't let her have control over you!" I noticed a hint of recognition flash through his eyes as he heard her voice, pausing in his advancement on me. I could feel my heart thumping in my chest, my inner voice willing Barry to listen, to understand. The room had fallen silent for a moment as myself and Siren both observed Barry in anticipation.

"Iris?" He muttered with a frown, turning his gaze away from the phone and returning to me. I grinned as a minute nod of his head alerted me that he was back, and ready to end this. Unfortunately, the silent understanding that had passed between us hadn't gone unnoticed by our company, who had now readied herself to fight.

"Well this is not how I saw my night going, you just had to make my life difficult didn't you," She rolled her eyes as she leapt to the side, narrowly missing a blow from Barry and heading instead for me. I removed my daggers from their sheaths, swiping towards my target as she approached me, just catching her face with the tip of my blade, causing her to hiss as a thin line of blood marked her cheek. Throwing a kick in my direction, her foot connected with my chest and knocked the wind out of me. I stumbled backwards, knocking into the counter and tumbling to the side falling flat on my back, my hood no longer providing the cover needed to conceal my identity. I prepared myself as she advanced, gearing up to fight when I was saved as she was thrown across the room, hitting the wall with enough force to knock her unconscious. I released a sigh as I noticed her still body, my relief lasting only a few moments before I locked eyes with Barry. He watched me for a moment, a number of emotions crossing his expression as he pieced everything together, finally seeing my face for the first time. I remained silent, unsure of what to say as I pulled myself to my feet, my eyes flickering over to Cisco where he still lay unconscious on the floor, a large bruise forming where I'd hit him. Anger had beat out all other emotions for the spot on Barry's expression, a feeling of panic washing over me as I prepared myself for his reaction. Much to my surprise, he turned away, making his way over to Siren first and ensuring she was restrained, before checking that Cisco was okay.

"You can go." His words were blunt, not bothering to face me as he spoke.

"Barry-" I began, desperate to offer some sort of explanation.

"You're lucky I'm letting you leave here at all, so I suggest you go now and don't come back." He turned to face me this time, glaring as he struggled to contain his anger. I nodded quickly, feeling helpless for the first time in a long time as I took a few steps back before hurrying back out the same way I'd come in.

* * *

It had been two days since everything happened with Siren, who I'd discovered was now safely locked away in the makeshift meta-human prison beneath S.T.A.R. labs. The whole situation had me shaken, leaving me unsure of what to do next. I hadn't received any texts or phone calls from Cisco, leading me to believe that Barry had revealed the truth to him, a fact that filled me with regret and sadness. I'd opted to remain in my flat today, drowning my sorrows in food and terrible daytime TV. I'd spread out across the sofa, a large plate of fries and chicken nuggets balancing on the arm of the chair which so far hadn't managed to do much in the way of cheering me up. The noise of the TV had long since faded into the background, my thoughts taking precedence in my mind. I'd been stupid to think I could get away with this forever, of course he was going to find out who I was eventually and of course, he was going to hate me. Who in their right mind would be stupid enough to care for a monster like me? He was far too pure and good to be a part of my life, all I brought with me was death and destruction and that was something that I'd never want him to be a part of. I sighed, closing my eyes and sinking back into the chair, suddenly losing my appetite. A sudden gust of wind blew through the apartment, pulling me from my thoughts as I jumped to my feet, scanning the room around me. I allowed my guard to drop somewhat as I spotted Barry standing on the other side of the room, observing me intensely. I remained cautious, remembering what he had told me a few days ago, nervous as I considered the theory that he'd realised the error of his ways in letting me go, and was now here to lock me up with the rest of their meta-human criminals.

"Barry," I nodded in his direction.

"Zarah... or do you prefer Manea?" I rolled my eyes at his jab, deciding to busy myself clearing up the fries that had been scattered by the wind during Barry's surprise entrance.

"Are you here to lock me up, or are you just here to make me feel even more terrible about myself than I already do?"

"I hadn't decided yet." He countered as I finished clearing up the last of the spilled food. I paused for a moment after placing the plate back on the table, chewing my lip as I turned back to face him.

"Does he hate me?" I asked, my voice barely reaching more than a whisper.

"Cisco? No." He replied, his sombre expression remaining unchanged. His response surprised me. How could he possibly not hate me, I'd lied to him, I was a murderer, a monster. Unless...

"You haven't told him." It was more of a statement than a question, a flicker of hope sparking in me at the thought. He shook his head in response, frowning as he spotted the ghost of a smile on my lips.

"Not yet." My smile disappeared as quickly as it had arrived, my shoulders dropping as I sighed.

"Why haven't you told him?"

"Because you're going to." He stated simply, telling me exactly what I had expected.

"I can't do that, you don't underst-" I began to argue before being cut off.

"Then start explaining." I sighed, taking a seat and gesturing for Barry to do the same, to which he declined saying he'd prefer to stand. After a few moments of shared glares and multiple eye rolls from myself, he finally gave in and dropped into the armchair across from me.

"If he finds out the truth then his life will be in danger, just as yours is right now," I began to explain, a sense of relief at finally being able to tell someone my story, "My job is a dangerous one, and it's something that I would give anything for him to never have to be a part of." Barry listened quietly as I explained, cutting in only once to ask a question.

"Why can't you get out of it? A career change is always good." He suggested with a sympathetic smile. I let out a soft laugh with a shake of my head before continuing.

"Unfortunately, I don't get the luxury of walking away from this. If I did, I would lose one of the only things in my life that is still important to me. I tried to get out of it once before, but this isn't the kind of job that allows for retirement. A few years ago, I wanted to leave, I told them I was done and I tried to disappear, but as much as I tried, they always found me. Then one day they caught me off guard, managed to grab me. I have no idea where they took me but when I finally woke up they presented me with a very convincing reason for staying." I paused, needing to take a breath before continuing, a lump forming in my throat at the memories. "They have my sister. They told me that either I complete this job, or they kill her. It didn't leave me with much of a choice. The people I work for, they're bad people and they're dangerous, if he finds out the truth about me then that automatically places a target above his head. I can't let that happen."

"Maybe... maybe we could help you, if all of us know the truth then we could try and find your sister, help you get out of t-"

"No. I'm sorry Barry but you can't help me, and Cisco cannot find out the truth." We fell into silence, the atmosphere in the room tense as he considered my words. He seemed torn, wanting his friend to know the truth but at the same time realising the danger that came with it.

"He's gonna find out eventually you know." He turned his eyes back to me, sighing as he ran his hands through his hair.

"I know, he's clever," I responded with a proud smile, "but I'm hoping to put that off for as long as I can." He nodded in response, rising from his seat in preparation to leave before turning back to me and gesturing towards my phone on the table.

"As unhappy as I am with all of this, you should call him, he could use a bit of cheering up. He's been in a foul mood since he found out he got mind controlled by Siren then knocked out by 'Manea'." We shared a laugh and I nodded before he disappeared in another gust of wind. I picked up my phone, turning it over in my hands as I considered my next move. I'd barely taken a minute to think before my fingers were tapping away at the screen, dialling the familiar number. I lifted the phone to my ear, listening to the repetitive ringing as I waited. Finally, the ringing ceased and I took a breath, pushing my worries to the back of my mind despite knowing that this would probably come back to bite me on the ass someday.

"Cisco... hi."


	12. Chapter 12

**_DISCLAIMER: I only own Zarah Wilson/Manea and her character development. The story does not follow any story or character plotline laid out in The Flash TV show and therefore the story and character development will not correlate with those stories and plotlines._** _**Please leave a review if you've liked (or disliked) the story so far and if you want me to carry on writing :)**_

 _The sun was shining brightly in the sky, illuminating the earth and giving life to the golden crops that stretched out before us, warming the soft grass as I lay back and closed my eyes, drinking in every little detail my senses could pick up on. I felt the warm rays on my skin, wrapping my body in a glowing embrace as the slight breeze provided mild relief, its gentle force fluttering the leaves on the trees high above me, whistling through the branches and eliciting a quiet rustle. The breeze carried with it the sounds of gentle laughter from the house behind me and the comforting smell of freshly baked bread. I allowed myself to disappear in my senses, losing myself in the kind of peaceful moment that I'd resigned myself to believe I'd never feel again. However, despite how much I was enjoying my current position, there was something wrong, something I couldn't quite put my finger on. I smiled, forgetting my worries as I felt something tickle my nose, opening one eye just a slit and being greeted with one of the most beautiful sights. Natalia grinned down at me, a strand of her long hair still tickling at my nose as it swayed in the breeze._

 _"Mama says you need to stop daydreaming and get to the house for dinner." She giggled, nudging my shoulder before hopping up and offering her hand to me. "I told her you were busy planning world domination and that we shouldn't disturb you... but she insisted"_

 _"You know me too well sissy," I replied with a wink, grabbing her hand and allowing her to pull me to my feet. We began our walk back to the house, so wrapped up in our conversation that it took me a moment to notice the silence that had filled the air. I froze, spinning on the spot and glancing around me, becoming aware of the lack of birdsong in the trees. In fact, just the lack of sound altogether. There was no chirping, no wind whistling through the branches and rustling the leaves, nothing. The field of crops continued to sway before me, their movement now completely silent as a leaf fluttered out of the sky and landed at my feet. I watched curiously as I crushed the leaf with my foot, offering only silence where a soft crunch should have been._

 _"Zarah." Natalia's voice called out to me, now sounding much more distant than it should have if she were right behind me. I turned back, my heart beginning to race as the space that the inviting cottage once stood on was now empty, appearing as a large room that resembled a warehouse. Natalia's voice continued to call out, growing quieter each time, urging me forward in search of my sister._

 _"Natalia! Nat!" I called her name, my voice echoing through the hollow space as my feet carried me forward again. I continued to run, picking up speed as her voice began to fade. In my panicked state, I stumbled, tripping over my own feet and hitting the ground with a hard thud. I groaned as I attempted to push myself off the ground, the distinct sight of a person with their back to me catching my eye as I rose._

 _"Talia!" I ran forward, grasping her arm and forcing her to turn to face me. The sight that met me as she turned caused me to stumble backwards, unable to contain my gasp. Dark crimson blood trickled down her face, oozing from a single bullet wound to her forehead and painting her porcelain skin. Words struggled to form as I bit back a sob, a lump forming in my throat as my panic was replaced with grief._

 _"You were supposed to save me, Zarah." She spoke quietly, a look of betrayal and sadness painting her features, tugging at my already broken heart. "You didn't save me, I'm dead because of you because you're weak." I uttered out a weak "no" as I backed away, tears now stinging at my eyes and running down my cheeks._

 _"Why didn't you save me?!" she yelled this time, the shock sending me tumbling backwards and hitting the ground hard..._

I jolted up in bed, my eyes darting around the darkness in search of anything to anchor myself to. The light morning sun was gently filtering in through my curtains, bathing my sheets in a warm orange glow. I let out a shaky breath, wiping the tears from my eyes as I dropped back onto my pillow, quickly shuffling away from the damp puddle my tears had left behind. Digging around under my pillows I soon found my phone, lighting up the screen to discover that it was 10:00 am and that I had multiple messages. I held my finger to the button, the screen unlocking with my fingerprint and revealing to me the messages I had received. The first three messages I had expected, all were received about an hour earlier.

 _Hey Zarah it's Cisco._ I chuckled at how he'd introduced himself in the text.

The first message was quickly followed with; _You know it's me because I messaged you and my name is on here, idiot. Anyway, fancy coffee today? 10:30 at Jitters? Let me know x_

I couldn't fight the grin at reading the messages, quickly typing back a reply.

 _Sorry I only just woke up, but Jitters sounds great I'll see you then x_

It was only a few moments before I received another reply. _Lazy, see you there x_

I turned my attention next to the other message, one I hadn't expected as much, if at all. The name on the screen was one I hadn't seen in a long time, long before I came to Central iCty. The message was short and to the point. _Call me._

Realising it must be important, I quickly opened up the contact and pressed the call button, holding the phone to my ear and listening to the quiet ringing.

 _"Zara, I was beginning to think you were ignoring me."_

"Elias, I would never," I replied with a grin, glad to hear the voice of an old friend. "So, what do you want this time?"

 _"Why do you always assume I want something from you? Perhaps I just wanted to catch up."_

"Do you just want to catch up?" I queried, expecting his answer before he'd even uttered a word.

 _"No, I need something."_ I laughed, shaking my head as he reciprocated, chuckling down the phone.

"Anything for you El."

 _"Perfect, text me your address and I'll come to you this evening? Around 7?"_ I agreed, saying goodbye and hanging up the phone before sending the address and throwing it down onto the soft sheets beside me. I lay there for a few minutes, just listening to the sound of the birds outside my window and the cars rushing by on the street below. I pushed down the memories of my dream, opting to ignore it rather than let it get me down. Reluctantly I dragged myself from my sheets and began to make myself presentable, the thought of spending some time with my favourite genius the only thing keeping me going.

"Morning beautiful," Cisco greeted me in a singsong voice, successfully chasing away any worries or sadness my dream had caused and lighting up my face with a grin.

"Good morning, you're certainly chipper today." I laughed, reaching for one of the mugs in his hands as he placed a soft kiss on my cheek.

"One decaf vanilla latte with almond milk, and yes I am in a wonderful mood." He smiled, gesturing for me to follow him, taking a seat at a table as I sat down opposite him and took a sip of my coffee before placing it down.

"Any particular reason you're in such a good mood? Or is it just because you have the pleasure of my company?" I winked as he chuckled, taking a sip of his own drink and watching me over the mug.

"Well I mean yeah there's that too I suppose, but nope just exciting work stuff." I nodded, enjoying the force field of warmth and light he managed to create wherever he went. It had been a couple of weeks since Barry and I had spoken, and while I was sure he was keeping an eye on me, things with Cisco had never been better. We'd become much closer, and were sort of dating now, although nothing had been said, it was an unspoken understanding between us. I'd tried not to let it distract me from my work, managing to cross another couple of names off the list last week and narrowly avoiding Barry in the process. There had been a few close calls but it seems I was just a bit too fast for the Scarlet Speedster.

"You sure do love your job don't you," I mused aloud as I drank, "Not that I really have a clue what you do." He seemed to ponder my words for a moment before placing his cup down. I could practically see the thoughts rushing through his head as he watched me.

"I'll be right back, gotta make a phone call," he announced before standing and walking away as I watched with raised eyebrows.

Cisco's POV

I exited the coffee shop holding my phone to my ear as I waited for an answer. I chewed my lip as I considered what I was about to ask, expecting a negative response.

" _Hey Cisco, what's up?"_

"Barry, I need to ask you something which you're probably gonna think is crazy stupid but I'ma ask anyway." My words tumbled out far more quickly that I'd anticipated.

 _"Uh... okay go ahead."_ He replied slowly, curious of what I was about to say.

"I wanna tell Zarah the truth."

 _"Right... and by the truth you mean?"_

"Everything, about Star Labs, meta-humans..."

 _"About me?"_ he asked, already knowing what I meant.

"Look, I know it's not for me to tell, but seriously I can't keep lying to her. She's so important to me and I know she knows I'm not being honest." I replied quickly, attempting to state my case. Barry didn't reply for a while, his silence making me nervous. Finally, he spoke.

 _"Okay."_

"Wait... okay?"

 _"Yeah okay, you can tell her."_ It was now my turn to stay silent, shocked by Barry's willingness to let someone else in on his secret. _"Look, I can see how much you care about her and that you're serious about this, and she seems like someone we can trust, so I'm giving you permission to tell her my secret."_

"Dude, you are amazing, I love you." Barry laughed down the phone at my reaction, telling me he'd see me soon before ending the call. I grinned at the successful phone call, watching Zarah through the window of Jitters as she sipped her drink, smiling back at me as she caught my eye.

Zarah's POV

I watched suspiciously as Cisco spoke into his phone, the curiosity in me desperately wishing I could listen in on the conversation. Whoever he was talking to and whatever they were talking about appeared to be good as a grin lit up his face. I quickly diverted my eyes as he hung up the phone, hoping he hadn't noticed me watching him. I chanced a glance up a couple of seconds later, unable to keep my attention anywhere else but on him. We caught each other's eye as he smiled at me through the glass and I offered a similar smile in return before he made his way back inside and dropped down into his seat. I watched him curiously as he continued to smile whilst taking a few gulps of his coffee.

"Good phone call I take it...?" I inquired with a smirk.

"Do you have any other plans today?" He ignored my question choosing to ask his own instead.

"Well I mean I was just going to sit in my flat and wait for you to text me but I suppose I could re-arrange that." He frowned at my joke before laughing and rolling his eyes.

"You're hilarious how do you do it." Sarcasm dripped from his words as he spoke.

"I was born with it." My response mirrored his as I fluttered my eyelashes.

"How would you like to come to work with me?"

"Is it bring your girlfriend to work day or something?" I questioned jokingly, a sudden jolt of panic hitting me as I realised what I'd said. We were just dating, right? I wasn't his girlfriend. Was I his girlfriend? Thankfully he didn't seem to mind my labelling as he replied.

"Yes that's exactly what it is, I figured you'd do."

"Why Cisco I'm flattered" my response was monotone and laced with sarcasm, followed up with an eye roll. He finished his drink before reaching across the table and taking my hand.

"C'mon Zarah, you're always complaining that you don't know what I do. And I promise you, it's super cool, you're gonna love it." I grinned as he shot me his best puppy-dog eyes, practically melting me from the inside out which he was fully aware of. He knew how to get his way with me, just as I did with him.

"I would love to come to work with you," I smiled, finishing my own drink before we both prepared to leave. As we left Jitters with my hand in his, I found myself curious to see how much I would 'discover' today. Was he going to tell me that he worked with the Flash? I suppose he'd have to, but that didn't necessarily mean he'd tell me who the Flash was. Thankfully, I was quite a good actress, meaning if I was introduced to the Flash's 'secret identity', I might just be able to act surprised enough to convince them the news is new to me. Either way, the giddiness of knowing Cisco trusted me that much was pretty much even with the anxiety of edging closer towards dangerous territory. Too much overlap between mine and Cisco's relationship and Manea and Cisco's relationship was risky, I'd have to be very careful and very smart from here on out.

 _ **I am SO SORRY this chapter took so bloody long to write and upload! I have such a good plotline planned but I really don't want to rush into it, so I'm trying to fill the gaps in between the real juicy stuff but it's a struggle. Filler chapters are always hard to think of ideas for, so if anyone has anything they want to see, like a bit more backstory for a certain character, or an interaction between specific characters please let me know! (need all the help I can get). Anyway, I want to thank Sam0728 for always leaving a review and giving me life to continue this, I hope you enjoy this chapter even though absolutely nothing happens. Much love, Hilly**_


End file.
